


A Magic Happenstance

by Something_clever



Category: Enchanted (2007), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: AU, Confused people, F/M, The Enchanted au you never asked for, a dog - Freeform, fairytales - Freeform, it doesn't die, like...im using their names and personalities au, oc from another fic, theres a dog
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-17
Updated: 2018-12-11
Packaged: 2019-02-03 10:49:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 44,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12746823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Something_clever/pseuds/Something_clever
Summary: Enchanted AU. Sutton can't believe she's crazy enough to offer obviously insane men, "Prince Steve" and "Sir Bucky", a place to stay for the night. But she felt bad at the thought of leaving them out in the rain with their delusions. And really with her doberman, Sprinkles, at her side, who was going to try anything? How much trouble could they possibly be?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is 100% the fault of Ink Outside The Lines. Like maybe I technically asked for the "trick" on tumblr... but this was entirely her doing. This whole AU. I merely couldn't get it out of my head. Because reasons. And I am so sorry updates are spaced out so far, but honestly... I wasn't going to be able to focus until I got this out.

"Just keep walking. Do  _not_  talk to the giant larpers," was not something Sutton ever imagined having to tell herself. And yet, there she was.

The city sidewalks were pooling with water as the rain continued to batter down for the second straight day. Sutton had wandered out purely for her doberman, Sprinkles', sake. She could only be cooped up for so long before Sutton started feeling pangs of guilt. So she'd leashed her dog up and grabbed her biggest umbrella and trekked out to the nearby dog park to let Sprinkles romp around and completely soak herself until Sutton's fingers became numb.

Her boots were squishing with every step and her nose was burning with cold. All she wanted to do was get back to her small apartment and make herself a warm cup of coffee after toweling off Sprinkles.

_And yet._

Two towering men stood on the corner of the block dressed in what looked like a cross between medieval garb and something a Disney royal might wear. They were handsome, if not wet to the bone, with striking features and bright eyes. The darker haired man, dressed something like a knight, was even was carrying a sword and one of his arms was entirely covered in an odd chainmail. Sutton tightened her hold on Sprinkles' leash and continued onward, still debating with herself. The men appeared lost, if she could garner a guess, and were staring wide-eyed at the buildings and streets around them. The few people out and about in the weather were giving them an understandably wide berth. Sutton would have too, if she didn't have Sprinkles with her. But Sprinkles had almost taken a chunk out of a dude's leg once when he'd gotten too aggressively close, so she felt confident enough to stay on her current path.

She passed them and they didn't make any attempt to speak with her. At most they shot her brief appraising gazes before glancing uneasily around them once more. Sutton paused, tugging on Sprinkles' leash, and sighed. She straightened her spine and turned back around, taking the few steps back to approach them.

"Hey, are you lost?"

Their gazes shot down to her and Sutton peered up at them from under her umbrella. They both blinked at her a couple times before the one dressed like a knight let out a relieved sigh.

"Finally," he said. "Someone with a modicum of decorum."

The other man, a dirty blond, placed his hand on the knight's shoulder and smiled at her.

"We are, miss. Could you tell us where we are?"

Sutton lifted a brow. Huh. These guys were committed to their characters. She decided to humor them.

"Near Pike's Place," she said. The blond squinted and the knight scowled.

"What land is that," the knight asked. Sutton rolled her eyes.

"Seattle," she said flatly.

Once again she saw no flicker of recognition on their faces. She wondered just how much they'd had to drink or if this was purely some intense, artistic dedication to their craft. Instead of calling them out on their oddity, she waved her hand in a gesture to move things along.

"Where are you trying to get to? Maybe I can give you simple directions."

The blond perked up.

"We are trying to return to Andolasia," he said. "How far are we by horse, do you know?"

Sutton sighed internally and Sprinkles tugged on her leash as she attempted to move closer to sniff the blond stranger. Sutton pulled her back.

"Andel-what? Come on, guys, I need a real place. I can't help you if you don't help me."

"Andolasia," the knight said slowly. "We are the largest kingdom in the western lands."

"Just how much have you two had to drink?"

Both seemed aghast at that idea, and spoke over each other in defense of their sincerity. Sutton wasn't sure what to make of them. They both appeared to honestly believe what they were saying to her. That they were trying to get back to some imaginary kingdom. Both had obviously been out in the rain for a bit longer than what was probably recommended, and no location she tried to rattle off even gave a flicker of familiarity to their eyes.

 _Oh dear_ , Sutton thought to herself.  _I'm talking to crazy people._   _Two very attractive, crazy men. That's what threw me off._

Generally people to avoid were a bit more obvious. She'd lived in the city long enough to be able to spot them. Although she supposed the knight and prince get up should have been more of a hint than she'd taken it as.

Sutton shifted awkwardly clenching Sprinkles' leash once more to reassure herself of her grip on it.

"Well, unfortunately I've never heard of that place," she said, her voice a low, wary tone. "I'm sorry I couldn't have been more help."

The blond reached out a hand to stop her.

"Wait, miss, please. I have the feeling that we were cast farther away from our homeland than we feared. Do you know of any sorcerer who might be able to help us? Or an inn to stay at until someone comes for us."

The knight scoffed quietly.

" _If_ ," he mused. The blond shot him an irritated scowl.

Sutton tried to rub between her eyes, but she had an umbrella in one hand and a curious dog in the other. Sprinkles was panting happily up at the blond guy now and silently snapping her mouth shut like she did when she wanted attention. Sutton frowned.

"I've never met a sorcerer," she hedged. "But there are hotels down this block. Or shelters if you don't have money."

"We have a bit," the knight said. He reached into a small leather pouch at his side and pulled out a few shining, golden coins. Sutton blinked.

"What are those?"

"Gold pieces, obviously," the knight said.

"Real gold," asked Sutton. "Like mined from rock and melted down, gold?"  
The blond lifted a brow in amusement.

"Yes."

"Hotels won't accept that," she said. "That's not standard currency."

She felt a bit guilty, watching the hope drain out of their eyes once more as the rain continued to pelt them. Their hair was pressed slick against their scalps and their clothes were dark with water and looked heavy. Sutton gnawed on her lower lip and debated internally.

Hotels wouldn't accept gold pieces, but  _she_  could. She could trade those for cash and use it for groceries and rent. Money had been stretched thin lately and even a few hundred dollars would be an immense relief. Her eyes trailed after the knight's hand as he tucked the gold pieces back in their pouch. Those looked heavy enough to trade for more than a few hundred.

Sprinkles tried to lick the blond's hand and the words burst from her mouth before she had a chance to overthink them.

"Hotels might not accept those, but I will."

The men were silent in surprise and Sutton nodded at the knight's pouch.

"I have a guest room," she said. "And if you guys aren't serial killers and just need a place for a day or two, I'll do it for a couple of those coins."

Oddly enough, the men agreed. A twinge of doubt shot through Sutton, that ever present voice of reason that screamed,

" _Are you MAD? Did your mother teach you_ _nothing_ _? You are going to die horribly, congratulations."_

Was letting potentially dangerous strangers into her home really worth a few thousand dollars?

She nodded her head and gestured for them to follow her.

"Alright, Arthur and Lancelot, let's go."

_Apparently it was._

They trudged behind her, sounding soggy and squeaking in their boots.

"My name is actually Steven Rogers, Prince of Adolasia," the blond said. "And this is my most loyal knight, Sir James Barnes."

Sutton looked over her shoulder and shot them a polite smile.

"I'm Sutton," she said, purposefully not giving her last name. "Lady of apartment 16E."

They dipped at the waist in a polite bow, despite continuing to walk, and Sutton sighed as she eyed their odd clothes.

"Do you guys have anything to change into," she asked.

They did not.

She tried to mentally tally how much was in her account before recalling the sweet promise of those gold coins. "Let's stop first then," she said. "You can't stay in those. I don't want you soaking my couch."

She led them into a thrift store that she knew was pet friendly and told them to pick a few things. Steven and James hesitated, casting uncertain looks at the musty smelling clothes racks. Sutton closed her eyes and forced herself to take a calming breath.

"Do you guys need help?" Steven smiled sheepishly.

It took them longer to pick out two outfits and some lounge clothes than it should have. The men were incredibly picky, complaining about the fabric quality and the style and the smell. They made unusual implications that  _this world_  was the weird one. Sutton refrained from asking any probing questions. She reminded herself continuously of the money those gold coins would get her.

James carried all the bags with the purchases she'd made, having thrown in some toiletries for them as well. She was feeling charitable. Sutton led them back out into the rain for hopefully the last time and to the building her apartment was in. Her place was on the fifth floor and she had to coax the men into the elevator after they balked about cramming into a "small pointless room". It blew their minds when the elevator started moving. Sutton eyed James' grip on his sword warily and prayed that the elevator  _not_ break down this trip.

Luckily they made it to her floor without any complications and Sutton walked down the hall passed 15 doors until her own was finally in view. She let out a relieved hum as she unlocked her door. After being outside for so long her apartment felt warmer than it actually was. She stepped inside and eyed the two men before nodding.

"Well, come on in."

They stepped in gingerly, eying her apartment like they'd never seen anything like it before. She knew it was a little messy, but she hadn't exactly been expecting guests anytime soon either.

Sutton dropped her purse on her small dining table and unclipped Sprinkles' leash.

"Wipe 'em," she said. The men looked as though they might've thought that command was for them, but Sprinkles trotted over to a towel Sutton had previously laid by the door and shook her fur out. Sutton followed her dog over and used the towel to rub her down fully. Sprinkles perked up in the warmth and made a point of resting her chin on Sutton's shoulder so that she could watch the new visitors while being dried off.

"The bathroom is down the hall, first door on the right," Sutton said. "There should be clean towels under the sink, if you guys want to get cleaned up. Let me know if you need help adjusting the shower temp. It gets finicky sometimes."

"Thank you, Lady Sutton," Steven said with a dip of his head. "You are most gracious." The knight mimicked the head movement in agreement. Sutton snorted to herself.

"Just  _Sutton_ is fine, thank you. And as long as you keep that sword away from me, we're cool." James snapped up straight in surprise and his face reddened.

"Of course," he said. "My apologies, I wasn't thinking."

Sutton watched in curiosity as he unbuckled the sheath his sword rested in and then awkwardly attempted to hang it on her coat rack by the door. She bit her bottom lip to hide a smile.

"Right," she said. "No harm done."  
The men headed for the bathroom then and Sprinkles trotted happily after them while Sutton moved the short distance to her kitchen. She frowned at her dog's behavior. Usually Sprinkles wasn't so easy around new people. Especially men. Sutton didn't know if she ought to take that as a reassurance or be a little put out about it.

Instead of dwelling on that or the fact that she'd just brazenly let two adult male strangers with delusions about being from some far off kingdom into her home, she set about making something to eat. They could probably use something warm after standing out in the rain for who knows how long, and given that they hardly seemed to know how to function in society in general, she doubted they'd managed to get fast food.

She pulled out the family size frozen lasagna she'd bought on sale from her freezer and popped it into the oven, then set about making a pot of coffee to tie them over until it was done.

The sound of fumbling came from down the hall; she could hear the spray of water start and then one of them screamed and there was a crashing. Sutton pressed her eyes closed and was about to move to see the damage that was done when a subsequent, " _AHA!"_  was shouted.

She'd find out later. It was too risky to go check on them at the moment. For all she knew, doors could befuddle them and she see things she'd rather not.

The lasagna was already halfway done by the time both men emerged, showered and dressed in their jeans and sweaters. James hadn't removed the chainmail from his left arm, she could see the metal hand popping out of the sweater sleeve. It struck her as odd to leave on. If anything could still qualify as odd at this point. Sutton merely sipped at her coffee and nodded at the pot as they entered the kitchen.

"There's coffee, if you drink it. It's a bitter bean steeped in water and sweetened with cream, if you like it that way."

James' lips tugged to the side and his brow furrowed.

"We are well aware of coffee," he said. Sutton smirked behind her mug.

"Just making sure."

Steven almost looked amused by her comment as he sat at the table. He ran a hand through his hair and smiled.

"I believe I will take a cup," he said. When he didn't make a move, Sutton raised a brow and tilted her head towards the counter.

"Great," she said. "Mugs are right there. Help yourself."

Steven blinked twice and hesitantly stood.

"Of course," he said. " _Er_ , thank you."  
James let out a snicker and Sutton felt like she'd missed out on some private joke.

She took a final drink from her mug and put it on the counter near the stove. Nodding politely at the two of them she then excused herself briefly to change.

And maybe she wanted to see what they'd do or talk about when left alone for a moment.

She quickly slipped into a pair of sweats and a tee and then silently slid back out into the hallway, hugging the wall, and breathed quietly through her mouth.

There was quiet shuffling and then a scooting chair. Sprinkles whined in the kitchen and stopped shortly. Sutton's frown deepend. Way for her dog to flipping side with her and show an ounce of caution.

One of them cleared their throats.

"What do you think?" It was Steven's voice. There was a stretch of silence and then James' voice answered.

"I think that Loki has outdone himself with this one. I am sorry, my friend, I should have been more vigilant-"

"No, it isn't your fault. We were all caught off guard. I suppose we can only hope that Tony is able to create a counter spell." There was a false laugh and then Steven spoke again.

"Don't mock; he enchanted your arm, after all."

"It's an arm, Steve. Not an entire world."

Ok, so perhaps they actually believed their whole spiel about being from a kingdom. And they were serious about magic and sorcerers? Sutton straightened and felt another uneasy twinge.

Just what had she gotten herself into?

_A bit too late for that now._

Sutton cleared her throat in the hallway and casually strolled back into the kitchen just as the oven timer was going off. She shot the men a tight smile and grabbed her oven mitts to pull the lasagna out. The cheese was bubbling on top and looking a bit crispy around the edges just how she liked it. Sprinkles came over and bumped against her legs as she sat the pan down on the stove to cool a second as she grabbed plates.

"Oh," she said, "now you're my friend." The spots above Sprinkles eyes that looked like little eyebrows ticked up and she let out a short whine as Sutton rolled her eyes. "Nice to see just how deep your loyalty really goes."

There was low chuckling at the table and Sutton snapped her teeth together behind closed lips as she remembered she was being watched. She was so used to it being her and Sprinkles alone. Oh gosh, she'd have to watch how often she talked to her dog now. Lest the crazy people think her crazy.

She cleared her throat again and gauged how large to cut each chunk of lasagna. Her eyes darted over to Steven and James, briefly assessing their size and the widths of their chests. She made the pieces a bit bigger.

"Ok, well, that's dinner," she said to break the silence. "Sorry it isn't homemade, but I didn't exactly have time to plan something."

Sutton placed a plate before each of the men and passed them utensils before grabbing her own portion. She eased passed Steven to get to a chair while making a clicking noise with her tongue to encourage Sprinkles to follow her. Sprinkles more than willingly loped after her and sat between her and Steven with her eyes darting between each of their plates.

Sutton glared at her dog again.

It was quiet as they ate, the sound of utensils clicking and scraping loud. Sutton wasn't quite sure what to do from this point on. How exactly did you interact with strangers who believed themselves princes and knights? Although they seemed decent enough. Neither of them had made aggressive moves, and they'd both tried to use the paper napkins on her table to drape over their laps. Like her small kitchen was a fine dining experience.

What kind of psychotic killers used such fine table manners? Well, besides Hannibal, probably. But she wanted to give these guys the benefit of the doubt on the whole cannibal thing.

Really, really wanted to.

"It was delicious," James said politely as he finished off his plate. He'd devoured the pasta even faster than Steven. Sutton waved towards the counter with her fork.

"You can have seconds if you like. Feel free to serve yourself. And it's really nothing special. If I'd known I was going to feed princes and knights, maybe I'd have picked up some mutton and mead," she mused to herself. A wry smirk curled up her face as she took another bite.

"This was quite fine," Steven said. "No need to go out of your way. We are, after all, imposing upon you."

_Ribbing comment: missed._

Sutton left a bite or two of lasagna on her plate and stood up.

"Glad you liked it," she said. Clicking her tongue again, she jerked her head for Sprinkles to follow. "Come on," she said. "Let's get breakfast."

Sprinkles perked up at the word she recognized, jumping to her feet, and she followed Sutton closely as Sutton picked up her food bowl. Her whole rear end was wiggling side to side as she pranced on her front paws and avidly watched Sutton scrape the few nibbles of pasta into her bowl. Then Sutton walked over and dumped a few scoops of kibble on top and put it on Sprinkles' eating mat.

"Ok," Sutton said and Sprinkles rushed over to start working her way through the kibble to the treat on the bottom.

"She's well trained," Steven remarked, watching as Sprinkles chomped noisily on her dinner. Sutton let out a light laugh.

"She has to be, she's too big to behave badly. Besides, what's the point of a guard dog if it doesn't listen?"  
At that James' raised a doubtful brow.

"Oddly friendly for a guard dog."

Sutton stiffened slightly and silently agreed about her dog's traitorous attitude so far.

"Yeah, well, she almost bit off a drunk guy's leg last year. She's fierce when she needs to be." Perhaps there was a subtle warning in her story, one that James seemed to actually pick up on if the amused gleam in his eye was any indication.

"I don't think we'll test her on that," Steven said. Sutton felt some tension ease from her shoulders as she poured herself another cup of coffee. She didn't exactly trust them, but the words soothed her nonetheless.

A few awkward seconds ticked by, Sutton swore she could hear the clock in the next room with each click of the second hand. She tapped a finger on the rim of her mug and chewed on the inside of her mouth.

"So, Steven," she said. James held up a finger.

"Prince Steven," he corrected. Steven waved him off and shot her a charming smile.

"Just Steve is alright," he said. Sutton nodded in acceptance, glad that he wasn't insisting on silly titles.

"And Sir James," she inquired, a lilting tease in her tone. James huffed and hunched his shoulders.

"You can just call me Bucky." She grinned widely despite having no idea where that name came from.

"Wonderful, so which one of you is taking the couch? The guest room only has a twin and I really don't think you guys want to share that. Actually, I don't even know if that's possible."

Bucky flicked a few fingers in the air. The ones still covered in chainmail.

"I'll sleep on the couch," he offered. "I'm sure I've slept on worse during the war."

"Thanks," drolled Sutton.

Steve shot him some side-eye.

"I was there as well, if I remember correctly."

"Yes," said Bucky, "but now we are not being dictated by need."

Sutton rubbed at her temple and noted how oddly normal they spoke to each other despite their delusion. Sure they used unusual speech and spoke about nonexistent lands, but strip that away and they seemed relatively stable.

"And what war was that," she asked out of pure curiosity. "The Great Ogre War?"  
Steve face scrunched in confusion.

"No," he said shortly. "The war against the Frost Giants." Sutton nodded sagely.

"Ah, that was my second guess."

They both eyed her in mildly scrutinizing ways, Sutton shifted and Steve smiled thinly in a sort of self-depreciating way.

"You don't believe us at all, do you."

Sutton pushed herself off the counter in surprise and winced. She knew that it usually wasn't recommended to antagonize crazy people about their false beliefs. Especially if they believed them as thoroughly as these two seemed to. Instead of outright denying it, she gave him a grimace of a smile and shrugged.

"Just never heard of any of this stuff, I guess," she said.

"Does this land have no magic at all," Bucky asked. Sutton laughed sharply.

"If magic existed I'd be the first person to believe in it, trust me."

The looks they cast on her almost looked like pity. Sutton shifted uncomfortably once again, unsure how to feel about being pitied by actual crazy people. Sprinkles derailed her train of thought by pushing passed her and heading over to sit in front of Steve. She pawed at his leg until he obligingly reached down to pet her between the ears.

Sutton tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and shook her head.

"Anyway, I'll just go get some sheets and blankets for the couch."

She didn't mention also planning to look for something loud to hang on the front door in case they planned on leaving during the night with all her valuables.


	2. Chapter 2

Sutton had to forcibly drag Sprinkles into her room when going to bed that night. Her dumb dog had been persistent about trying to get into the guest room to jump on the bed Steve would be using. But Sutton needed the large doberman to be close by and available just in case one of the men tried anything funny. She wiggled under the piles of blankets stacked on top of her mattress and shot daggers at Sprinkles while the dog whined at the bedroom door.

"You are the worst, most traitorous guard dog of all time. What's that stranger ever done for you, huh? What's so special about him?"

Sprinkles huffed and snapped her jaw and Sutton groaned as she moved some of the blankets.

"Come on," she said. She pat the mattress a few times firmly. "You can sleep up here."

Sprinkles understood the gesture and looked at the door only once more before she took two large strides and flung herself up onto the bed.

" _Hurgh!"_

The air was almost knocked out of Sutton's lungs as Sprinkles landed on top of her and shimmied over to be as pressed up against her side as physically possible.

"This is why you have your pillow on the floor."

But Sutton knew very well that Sprinkles often found herself sleeping up on the mattress more often than not.

**[][]**

Tony lifted his locked gaze from the surface of the well and clutched the crystal in his chest as he gasped in relief.

"What? What is it? Are they safe?"  
He panted a few moments, righting himself, before he addressed his assistant and wife, Pepper.

"They're alive, dear," he said. He turned towards the redhead and smiled for the first time since the curse had been cast. "I believe they're seeking refuge with some commoner woman."

Pepper breathed easier with him.

"Well, summon them back," she said. "What are you waiting for?"  
Tony grimaced. He held up a finger as he began pacing around the room.

"Well, see, my dear, sweet, lovely, darling, precious-" Pepper's eyes widened.

"Is it that bad? Tony, where were they sent to? The Eastern Kingdoms?"

"No," said Tony.

"The Ever Changing Gardens? The Ice Hills? Where?"

He stopped pacing and ran both hands through his dark hair.

"No, no. Those would be simple, easy places to fetch them from. Loki went particularly diabolical with this curse."

"Tony, my love," Pepper said sweetly, "if you don't simply tell me where they are in the next few seconds-"

"A land without magic," Tony confessed. There was a twitch in his eye. He hadn't had that twitch in a long time. "A  _world_  without magic to be precise."

Pepper froze, her eyes darted down to the well then back up to Tony.

"Does such a place exist," she questioned. She kneaded her temples and let a short hiss escape through her teeth. "So you cannot reach them. You need magic to connect with magic. I recall you saying that."

Tony nodded, a faint smile flashing across his face at someone actually paying attention when he spoke. Though he shouldn't have been surprised. It  _was_ Pepper.

"There is apparently only one thing that can breach those divides. And Loki is quite obviously in possession of it."

Pepper cracked one eye open to watch as her husband began digging through various sheets of loose paper.

"The Vessel of Light and Space."

He pulled out a single sheet of paper and held it out for her to see. There were scribbled runes all around one single illustration. A large cube with inky blue lines of light arcing from its center.

**[][]**

When Sutton woke the next morning she and Sprinkles were a tangle of limbs and there was dog drool on one of her pillows. She hummed contentedly and rubbed at Sprinkles' neck, shifting to a belly rub as her dog arched and turned over lazily.

"The life of a pet," she mused quietly. Sitting up and yawning, Sutton stretched her back and rubbed at her face as her eyes fell on her closed bedroom door.

Right. There were houseguests. Steve and Bucky.

At least they hadn't made any attempts to break into her room during the night. And Sprinkles hadn't been alerted to any loud noises either. She hoped that meant they hadn't made off with her TV, at least.

Slipping on a bra, she grabbed a bundle of clothes and quickly darted to the bathroom in order to shower and change. If luck were on her side, the others wouldn't be up yet and she could get ready for the day without the added stress. She left her bedroom door cracked open so Sprinkles could get out if she wanted to, but the pooch looked content to lay limp on the bed a bit longer.

When she was showered, dressed, and had put on a layer of makeup, she more confidently walked back to her room to rouse Sprinkles.

"Let's go," she urged as Sprinkles moaned deep in her chest. "Get up, you need to go out. Get up!"

Sprinkles let out a growling complaint and stretched, cutting her eyes at Sutton as she watched her person struggle and tug on her legs.

"Why are you like this," Sutton whined herself. "I rented this apartment specifically because there was a dog park nearby and this is the thanks I get?"

"Do you need any help?"  
Sutton yelped and jumped at the voice. Steve stood in her doorway; his face shifted from amused to chagrined as he noted he'd frightened her.

"Sorry," he said. "I did not mean-"

Sprinkles yipped happily and sprang from the bed, trampling over Sutton and pressing her into the mattress, to get to Steve. She did a circle in front of his legs and then sat on her haunches and lifted a paw. Sutton let out a sharp, agitated breath and fixed the bun Sprinkles had knocked her hair out of.

"You shameless little-" She cut herself off and cleared her throat at Steve's raised eyebrows. "Seems like there's a new favorite," she said sharply instead. "You should be honored."

Steve shifted awkwardly and rubbed at the back of his neck with one hand as he pet Sprinkles with the other.

"I've always had a way with animals," he said. "I'm sure it's not personal."

Sutton grunted as she pushed herself off her mattress and stood fully on her feet. She idly brushed the wrinkles out of her shirt and eyed Steve from under her brows.

"Sleep alright," she asked. Steve bobbed his head.

"Again, I thank you for your hospitality. You will be well recognized in Andolasia as a help to the crown." He paused, lips twisting to the side as he thought. "Whether you believe it or not," he added.

"I appreciate the thought."

They both smiled politely, at an impasse with their points of view, and Sutton rocked on the balls of her feet as she gnawed briefly on her lower lip.

"Well, uh, I should get Sprinkles outside before she has an accident."

"Of course," said Steve. He moved out of her doorway to let her pass. Sutton nodded in thanks and rushed passed him on her way to get Sprinkles' harness and leash. Bucky was sleeping on the couch. He still wore his chainmail sleeve.

She slid her feet into a pair of boots by the door as she shook the leash.

"Let's go out, Sprinkles," she called quietly. But Sprinkles was stuck to Steve's side as he made his way down the short hall. He smiled apologetically.

"I can always accompany you, if it's easier."

Sutton sighed, her face going slack in defeat. Steve looked around her at the door.

"Is there a purpose to the pans tied to the door?"

"Nope! Nope; none at all!"

[]

It was still raining as they walked down to the patch of grass Sprinkles used to do her business. Sutton had given Steve her umbrella to hold since he was taller, and they both huddled under it to avoid getting wet. They were uncomfortably close. Sutton could feel the heat radiating from Steve's body and their arms would often accidentally brush.

There were a few people out and about despite the rain. If the weather kept everyone homebound, they'd never get anything done on their side of the state, and it was enough to help her not feel so isolated and estranged. Despite allowing Steve and Bucky spend the night in the first place, she was trying to remain wary.

She could admit, however, that he didn't exactly have a threatening air about him. Sure, he was muscled enough to clearly hold his own, but he didn't have that predatory curl to his shoulders. No sheen in his eyes that said he was looking for a fight or an opportunity. He was actually quite genial. With the way he tried to open doors for her and make sure she was adequately covered by the umbrella he was, dare she say it,  _princely._

She giggled to herself and Steve tilted his head down to look at her, silently asking for an explanation. Sutton ducked her head and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Sorry, just amusing myself," she explained. Steve nodded, but didn't press when she didn't explain. Sprinkles ran ahead when they reached her designated patch of grass and Sutton turned to give her some privacy as she waited. Steve watched the people passing, dressed in their dark raincoats as they ran from eave to eave and made their way across the city. Sutton rolled her bottom lip between her teeth and rocked on her feet once.

"So, uh, what's Adolasia like, then?"  
Steve adjusted his grip on the umbrella handle and looked from her back out at the city block.

"Why are you curious about a place you don't believe in," he asked. "No longer able to amuse yourself?"

"Ouch," Sutton said in a hiss, exaggerating her offense to hide a bit of real chagrin. "Alright, that's fair. I guess I haven't been representing my best self. Sorry, if I made you feel bad. It's just- it's a lot to hear. I'm just trying to understand."

Steve accepted her apology and explanation with grace. He eased the umbrella over her way marginally when he noticed that a few drops of rain fell onto her shoulder.

"I suppose it may come as a surprise to realize there are more worlds than just one. Bucky and I were astounded ourselves. Although it's a bit haunting to know there are places that hold no magic. How does anyone here ever achieve a happy ending?"  
Sutton bit her tongue to hold back her first retort. She'd just apologized; it'd be no good to go back on it so quickly.

"You believe in happy endings," she asked instead. Steve eyed her with a pitying look again.

"You don't?"  
"I think that people can be content with what they have. That if you're blessed you can find someone to share life with. I don't know if that counts, but it's the best we can hope for. But I think it's really sweet that you do."

Steve's face turned an interesting shade of pink and he cleared his throat and looked away. Sprinkles kicked her back legs out over the grass and Sutton sighed in resignation and reached into her pocket for a plastic bag.

"Just give me a second. You don't want to be a part of this."

[]

"It's greener," Steve said suddenly on their way back to her apartment. Sutton pulled her eyes away from where they'd been staring in the distance and looked up at his profile. "Even in the main city, it's still greener. More colorful. There's a forest right across from the castle walls where I used to play and hunt. The road up to the castle smells like bread and spices when you pass the villages. And people, my people are more welcoming than those here."

Sutton kicked lightly at a puddle as she allowed his words to sink in. She let out a quiet hum and tried to imagine a kingdom like from one of her picture books as a kid. Or something from Sleeping Beauty. Tall spirals and waving banners and fresh baked loaves carried by tunic wearing peasants.

"It sounds lovely." She flashed him a smile, attempting to make up for her previous offenses. "I've always wanted to see a real castle. But I'll have you know that  _my_ land is considered the Evergreen State. We're just not in the best place to see it at the moment. But we could be greener than you."

Steve didn't look like he was inclined to agree, but he politely dipped his head in acknowledgement anyway. Sutton laughed.

"How very diplomatic of you." She teased. "Is that a prince's way of saying ' _I doubt it'_?"

His lips twitched and he paused to open the apartment building doors for her and Sprinkles.

"I couldn't say."

" _Mmhmm_."

They rode the elevator back up without any complications this time. When they reached the fifth floor Bucky was hovering right in front of the elevator doors.

"Your majesty!"

"Whoa! Hey now, what're you-"

"You were all gone when I awoke," Bucky accused. "I feared the worst."

"Being left behind," Steve asked with some degree of humor. Bucky frowned in irritation.

"Your injury."

Sutton laughed.

"At whose hand? Mine? Look at him. He's built like a brick house."

Steve reddened again and Bucky's face flickered. A smirk slowly crawled up his face as he noticed Steve's reaction.

"So you admire his physique."

Sutton short-circuited, her mouth gaping a moment before she found her footing again.

"Wha- that's not what I said! I made a factual statem- I barely know either of you. Please."

She scoffed and brushed back her hair as she pushed passed them. Sprinkles resisted, grumbling as her paws tried to plant themselves into the carpet. When Sutton ignored her protests she caught Sutton's coat sleeve between her teeth and yanked it sharply down.

" _Hhng!"_

Sutton stumbled awkwardly, barely catching herself before eating it on the carpet. She straightened herself, silently fuming, and refused to turn around as she called out behind her.

"Would you  _mind_  coming along,  _your majesty_?"

Footsteps padded behind her accompanied by chuckling and Sprinkles was suddenly cooperative. Sutton scowled down at her dog's happy face, tongue lolling out in contentment.

"You are the world's worst dog ever."

Her door had been left open, it seemed, in Bucky's haste and Sutton took a couple quick steps to try and hurry towards it. One of her neighbors was peering passed the threshold and Sutton clicked her tongue once on the roof of her mouth. Sprinkles snapped to attention and pushed against Sutton's side.

"Gary," Sutton called sharply. The man at her door straightened quickly, his face sheepish but quickly slipping into one of passiveness. "Thanks for watching out for me," she continued. "There was a bit of a misunderstanding. Thankfully I wasn't gone long."

Gary was one of her less savory neighbors. She wasn't exactly super chummy with anyone on her floor, but out of all of them she trusted Gary the least. He hadn't actually done anything, so she felt a little bad that her, and Sprinkles', hackles rose every time he was near. But it was just a gut instinct she couldn't quite shake off.

Gary's eyes flickered behind her and he took a step back while wringing his hands, a forced, genial smile crinkling his face.

"Have overnight visitors," he asked. Sutton felt her face warm.

"My, um, cousin is visiting, actually. And his friend. My cousin and his friend." She held an arm out in invitation and gestured to Bucky.

"Yep, my older cousin. Bucky."

Bucky didn't move and Sutton turned to look, shooting him a scathing glare as she mouthed,

" _Get over here."_

He hesitated and then took a few steps forward. Sutton threw an arm around his shoulders, or at least as close as she could reach, and grinned falsely at her neighbor. Bucky gave the man an unimpressed once over.

"Pleased to meet you," he said flatly.

Gary only edged away, no longer interested in checking out her apartment and less interested in getting to know her guests.

"Staying long then," he asked. "You know how the landlord is about extra roommates."

Sutton maintained her smile and spoke through her teeth.

"It's just a visit," she insisted. Sprinkles growled lowly and Gary's gaze flickered over to her. He took another step back.

"Well," he said as he began to walk away, "you should be more careful. Leave your door open like that, anyone can get in."

"I'll keep that in mind."

She watched as he slinked away. When he was further down the hall she dropped her hand from Bucky's shoulder and slipped into her apartment. Sprinkles' hackles were still raised as she unclipped her leash and Sutton sighed as she knelt down to rub her head.

"Easy," she said. Sprinkles eyed the door a moment and watched until Steve silently closed it behind him. She anxiously licked her chops and whined.

"Easy," Sutton said again. Sprinkles huffed, shook herself out, and Sutton smiled. "There we go.  _Who's a good girl?_ " She smooshed the loose skin on the side of Sprinkles face and rocked her head back and forth as she cooed. " _You're a good girl, yes you are."_ Sprinkles let her tongue hang out and Sutton pressed her forehead against Sprinkles'. "You want a treat? You get a treat for chasing off ol' Scary Gary."

Sutton stood as Sprinkles booked it for the cabinet that held a box of milkbones.

"What was that?" Steve frowned as he shifted in the room, angling to follow after Sutton as she made her way into the kitchen. Sutton pushed Sprinkles out of the way and opened the cupboard to pull out two bones.

"That, my friend, was Gary. Resident of apartment 19E." She turned and tossed one of the treats at Sprinkles who reared up on her hind legs to catch it. "He's a bit of a creep, but he hasn't actually done anything. Although  _leaving my front door open_  could certainly give him an opportunity."

Bucky blanched. He ran his hand through his hair and then back over his neck.

"My sincerest apologies; truly. I should never have panicked like I did. I was foolish in my haste."

Steve didn't speak up to tell his friend that dramatics weren't necessary, so Sutton relented. Sprinkles tried to knock the second treat out of her hand and Sutton made a negative noise in the back of her throat while holding it out of reach.

"Nothing happened," she said. "Luckily we were on our way back."

"You live alone with him on the same floor," Steve questioned. If Sutton were crazy, she might've thought he sounded concerned. She held up one hand, palm out, toward Sprinkles and waited until she sat before switching to holding up a pointer finger. The treat was sat precariously on Sprinkles' nose as she stared cross-eyed at the bone and began to drool.

"First of all, I don't live alone. I have Sprinkles here," Sutton said. "Secondly, you can't exactly evict someone just for being vaguely creepy. Kinda illegal."

"Forgive me for saying so, but he doesn't seem very trustworthy."

Sutton shot him an amused smirk, her eyes sparkling.

"Well I did call him Scary Gary in earshot of you. I'm sure you have a bias now, given I'm the only person you sort of know in this building."

"That isn't the reason," Steve insisted. Sutton cut her eyes to Sprinkles who was being very diligent about balancing her treat.

"Ok," she said. Sprinkles flipped the treat up into the air and caught it in her mouth with a loud  _crunch._ "Anyway, please just remember to close the door."

Sutton moved to the coffee pot and started a fresh brew. The men watched her. She could see them fidgeting as if they didn't know what to do in her peripheral vision.

"So, any ideas about how you two are getting….home?"  
They both sighed and resigned to sit down at her dining table. She turned to look at them fully at the extended pause. They were casting uneasy glances at each other. Steve's face crinkled in displeasure as if something distasteful was said to him. But neither was actually talking. Eventually, Steve sighed.

"I do not know," he said. "You've made clear you have no sorcerers here. I fear our only option is to wait for rescue to come to us."

"Oh," said Sutton. Her tone lilted up to a higher key as she leaned against the counter. "So how long-"

"We will not intrude upon you," Steve insisted, cutting her off. Bucky looked as though he wished he could protest. "If you would be so kind, however, to allow us one more day. As you offered yesterday? We would be ever grateful."

Sutton, much to her own surprise, found herself wanting to instantly agree. It wasn't like her, exactly, to be so reckless. She'd lived on the same floor as Gary for over a year now and not once had she ever been inclined to even offer him a cup of coffee. And yet, here she was, willing to agree on another night with people who were no more than strangers.

She coughed into her fist and scratched the back of her head, fidgeting. Stalling.

"Yeah, sure," she said. "I said a day or two and I'm not taking it back now. And, I mean, those gold coins of yours are probably worth a few days, to be fair."

Bucky lifted his head and straightened his spine. He eyed her with a certain calculating glint and Sutton turned to the fridge quickly.

"A few," Bucky questioned. "That is more than a couple."

"Right, well, I mean, I could maybe- I mean-"

Sutton made a face while hidden by the fridge door as she reached for the eggs. She wasn't actually thinking of extending their stay allowance was she? No! She had to work tomorrow. It was one thing to be stupid enough to let them in while she was  _in her house,_  but it was a new level of dumb to leave them there alone. Alone with Sprinkles!

When she emerged from the fridge with the eggs and a thawed package of bacon, a polite refusal and correction on her tongue, Bucky had his pouch of coins sitting on her table top. Sutton snapped her mouth closed.

"Bucky," Steve admonished. But Bucky only watched her reaction. Sutton smoothed over her expression and raised a brow.

"Are you trying to buy my cooperation?" Bucky grinned.

"Yes."

He pulled out a handful of coins and watched her as he sat each one down; three individual coins with three individual  _clinks_. Sutton frowned. He sat down a fourth one. Her eye twitched. His grin widened.

Four thousand. That was at least four thousand dollars that he'd just dropped on her table like it was no big deal. Like it was pocket change to toss around. Where did they even get that kind of money? Sutton shook her head. No. No, as much as it'd make her life a million times easier for awhile, she wasn't going to steal from two crazy, yet nice, and obviously oblivious men.

"I can't accept that much," she said. "Where did you even get all this? Do you understand how much this is worth? That's, like, two month's wages."  
Bucky eyed the coins with scrutiny.

"Truly?"  
Steve leaned over the table, resting on his elbows, and tilted his head.

"It's being offered, not stolen," he said. Sutton shook her head again.

"No, I can't. Look, wherever you're from, you must not understand the exchange rate. But gold is decently valuable." She started preparing breakfast and sighed. Sprinkles was once again trying to steal as much attention from Steve as she could. She was laying next to his chair and resting her head on his feet as if she needed the physical contact. Sprinkles trusted him. And Sprinkles  _did not_ trust Gary. The stony resolve in her chest cracked.

"You can stay an extra night or two," Sutton relented. "But I'm not accepting any more than what's fair."

Both of them still seemed puzzled by her decision when she finally sat down a bowl of scrambled eggs and a plate of bacon on the table. Two coins remained sitting out at the table's edge. Sutton stared at them a moment. She tapped them lightly with two fingers before she smiled thinly and slipped them into her pocket.

"I'm going to have to go grocery shopping," she said serving herself a plate after they appeared to be waiting. "For two coins, I think I can feed you better than the top ramen in my pantry."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! I'm on a roll! This chapter features a special cameo. Thanks, Ink Outside The Lines for directly creating this fic, basically. ;)

Sutton fidgeted for the millionth time in her office chair as she looked at the clock. She drummed her foot on the floor and tried to calculate how many of the different worst case scenarios she'd thought up the two men in her apartment could've gotten through in the time she'd been gone. They'd assured her that they would treat her apartment and trust with "the utmost respect", but she still wasn't sure.

"I can deal," she muttered to herself. "I can deal with an empty, ransacked apartment as long as Sprinkles is ok."

"Sutton? You ok there?"

Sutton jumped in her chair and looked up to see the quirked, smiling face of her co-worker.

"Alexandra," she said, putting her hand on her chest. "You snuck up on me."

Alexandra grinned wider, leaning against the cubicle wall, and put a hand on her hip.

"I'm pretty light on my feet," she said. "But also you have been staring into the abyss beyond your computer for at least two minutes." She raised her brows in a curious amusement and Sutton chuckled sheepishly. Alexandra lifted her ever present water bottle to her lips and took a sip through the straw as she apparently waited an explanation.

"Usually you look bored," she noted when Sutton paused too long. "What has gotten you looking perpetually perturbed and pondering problems before lunch?"

Sutton groaned and Alexandra giggled.

There was no question that Alexandra was a good coworker. She was always smiling and happy to help. And despite the fact that she was a few inches taller, Sutton always considered her almost fairy-like. With a thin frame, always styled brunette hair curling at her shoulders, and her generally easy air, she caught more than a few gazes everyday. And she was just generally  _nice_.

But as kind and understanding as she was, Sutton didn't know how she felt about informing a coworker that she'd let two men who believed themselves a prince and a knight, respectively, into her home. And then left them alone. All for a couple gold coins. Yeah, definitely just for the money.

"It's just, um, Sprinkles," she improvised. "She wasn't, uh, feeling good this morning. Hoping she didn't eat anything from the trash, you know?"  
Alexandra nodded in understanding. She brushed some hair from her shoulder and waved her free hand as she spoke.

"I'm sure she's alright. You always seem very on top of things when it comes to her. She was the most well behaved dog at the company picnic!"

"Ha, thanks. I'm sure you're probably right."

With a happy nod, Alexandra took another sip of water and looked at the watch on her wrist.

"Oh! I've got a meeting in five. I'll see you later? And, just a tip, you might want to try not talking to yourself quite so loud?"

Sutton groaned into her hands again and Alexandra's humored laugh drifted away as she headed towards one of the conference rooms.

When Alexandra was out of sight, Sutton pulled out her cell phone and dialed her home number. She drummed her fingers on her desk and sat hunched over and out of direct view of her cubicle doorway as her home phone rang. And rang. And rang. Sutton ran her hand over her face, pulling at her skin, as her phone went to voicemail. She took a deep breath as she heard the long tone.

"Hey," she said with false cheer. "I was just trying to check in and make sure everything was fine. I, uh, don't know if you guys forgot how to answer the phone, but, um, yeah. It's just about lunch now, so I should be back in a few hours. If there's an emergency or something, definitely let me know. You hit the numbers on the phone that match the ones on the fridge and-"

The phone let out another tone, informing her that she'd been cut off and Sutton dropped her phone into her purse, holding her hands out in front of her as if to calm herself down.

"It's fine," she said. "It's going to be fine. Right now, it's time for lunch."

**[]**

Lunch came and went. Sutton probably only managed to do half the work that she usually did in a given day. She waved goodbye to Alexandra on her way out and urged the elevator to move faster as she made her way to street level. Generally it took her about half an hour to walk from work back to her apartment, but in her haste she shaved off about ten minutes from her time.

The rain had let up slightly in the last day, but the clouds were still hanging ominously overhead and she kept her umbrella held tightly in her grip as she jogged down the sidewalk. Her building came into view and she stopped herself from breathing a sigh of relief.

The elevator ride up was a crawl inside of a glide, and she pushed passed the doors as they began to open and kept an eye out for oddities as she made her way down the hall.

Her front door wasn't left hanging open. That had to count for something.

Now that she stood right outside her apartment, however, she was hesitant to enter. There weren't any loud sounds coming from behind the door. Her doormat hadn't been moved or knocked aside by any large furniture. Sutton took a deep breath and held it as she put her key in the lock and pushed her door open.

A wave of lemon scented air hit her as she stepped into her apartment. Sutton stopped in her tracks and just blinked as she scanned the room. The blankets on the couch had been folded and the pillow was sitting on top, all the little piles of clutter had been cleared from her counters, and both Steve and Bucky sat calmly at her table; reading from books they'd pulled off her shelf. Sprinkles poked her head out from under the table and let out one obligatory bark.

Sutton eased her door shut and glanced around once more.

"Hello," Steve said. He lowered his book and made sure to make eye contact and smile as he greeted her. Sutton tried to mimic the gesture.

"Hey. You guys, uh, manage alright today?"

Bucky cut his eyes over to her as he watched her put her purse down and shuck off her jacket.

"It was quiet," he said. "Except we could not recall how to activate your phone."

Sutton nodded.

"I thought so. But, did-did you guys….clean?"  
Steve smiled widely.

"I thought it would be the least we could do to thank you for your kindness."

Bucky shot a droll look at his friend and rolled his eyes.

"You mean it was the least  _I_ could do," he muttered. Steve reddened and scowled.

"I did help," he argued.

Sutton wondered if they knew she could still hear them despite their low voices. She decided not to draw attention to their squabble and accept the gesture for what it was.

"Well I really appreciate it," she said. "Thank you." She eyed Sprinkles who was still lying at Steve's feet and hardly raising her head as she cut her eyes up to look at Sutton. Sutton frowned and lowered herself to her heels.

"Really," she complained. "I get a hello everyday I come home until someone new comes in? Am I that replaceable?"

Sprinkles let out a whine and actually raised her head, shifting her front paws to scoot forward slightly without actually getting up. She licked the air in front of Sutton, but couldn't actually reach her face and wasn't going to put in the effort to do so. Sutton rubbed behind her ears a second before pushing off her dog's head and standing up. She shot Steve a look and moved away from the table to get some water in the kitchen.

"You're not allowed to keep her when you leave, you know," she said. "She might mourn you, but she'll have to get over it."

"I would never attempt to take your companion," Steve promised. Sutton lifted her glass of water in a toast and drank to that.

Sutton drained her cup and sat it in her sink, noting how the cheap metal actually shone in the dull light of her kitchen. Maybe they really did have magic.

"Well," she said, "I'm going to take Sprinkles out. You guys want to stretch your legs? Get some fresh air?" Both men seemed to breathe sighs of relief.

"Yes," they said at the same time.

**[]**

They took in the sights with a bit more of a level headed demeanor as she led them on the short walk to the dog park. They passed the cafe on the corner where she'd found them and it looked completely ordinary. No sign of any sort of magical happening or world traveling. Sutton inwardly sighed and wondered what had actually happened to them. Where they were really from to not recognize  _anything_ in a city as known as Seattle.

When they reached the dog park, Sutton unclipped Sprinkles and let her take off across the field. There were a few other dogs playing and romping around, and Sprinkles invited herself into their games with a graceless loping and blatant refusal of rejection.

Sutton tucked the leash into her coat pocket and joined Steve and Bucky. She rubbed her hands together fruitlessly and gave them a sheepish smile.

"Dang," she said. "I should've gotten us coffee or something first. I completely blanked." Steve straightened and gestured towards the closed gate.

"We can get some now." Sutton shook her head.

"I can't leave Sprinkles here by herself, and you haven't seen what it's like trying to get her to leave this place. It's not worth the effort."

"Well, perhaps  _I_ can go and retrieve some?"  
Sutton raised her brows and smiled doubtfully.

"Right," she drawled. "I'm not sure that's-"

"We have taverns and the like," Steve said in a huff. "I can order drink, I know that much."

Sutton held her hands up in peace and reminded herself not to patronize them. Eyeing Steve, she reached into her other pocket and pulled a twenty out of the card holder she'd brought.

"Alright," she said, passing him the cash. "Here, I'll give you a tip. See that green sign down there? The one that says  _Starbucks_?" Steve nodded. "Go passed that. There's a better coffee shop two doors down. All you have to do is ask for a tall mocha, and whatever you and Bucky want. I'm guessing you're used to plain black, but cappuccinos are good, or white mochas if you have a sweet tooth."

"Tall mocha," Steve repeated, accepting the bill she put in his hand. Bucky twisted his lips to the side.

"I do not believe I'm feeling so adventurous today," he said. Steve nodded again and held up a hand when Bucky moved to follow him.

"I can go, Bucky," he said. "No need to follow me." Bucky appeared appalled.

"Your majesty-"  
"It's a mere half step away. And the people here do not recognize me. But Sutton is without escort, so please stay."  
Sutton rolled her eyes.

"Yeah. Haven't actually had a chaperone since the last school dance I went to."

Bucky stayed behind begrudgingly and Sutton watched in amusement as Steve marched down the sidewalk towards the coffee shop she'd recommended. She turned a grinning face towards Bucky.

"Does he have something to prove?"  
"These things always start with a gift," Bucky grumbled. "Except it isn't much of a gift if it was paid for, is it?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Sutton laughed. "But it's cute that he's trying to be all cool about buying coffee."

Bucky turned to look at her, tilting his head down.

"Cute?"  
Sutton's expression shuttered as she dropped her smile.

"I mean funny."

"But you said cute."

"Look," Sutton said tersely, "I don't know where you guys are from but, uh, here...um, cute and funny can...be ...sort of...interchangeable." She finished her argument lamely and Bucky only smirked.

"If you insist." He dipped his head slightly in a tongue-in-cheek sort of way and Sutton huffed.

She watched Sprinkles play for a bit and groaned internally as her dog completely rolled through a patch of muddy ground. There was going to be a messy bathroom cleanup in her future. Bucky gazed out in front of him. Every once in awhile he'd shift his stance or look over his shoulder if he heard a sound he didn't recognize. Sutton tilted her head down and shoved her hands into her pockets.

"I'm sure you guy 'll get back home eventually." Bucky snapped his gaze up.

"Pardon?"  
Sutton gestured with her head.

"You've seemed unsettled. I'm sure whatever happened was...distressing. But I'm also sure you'll find your way back."

"Forgive me," Bucky said. He ran his bare hand through his hair and sighed. "I have merely been concerned for the state of the kingdom. What with the dark sorcerer Loki now able to more easily take control."

To her credit, Sutton was getting better at pretending to go along with whatever they said. She nodded in sympathy and pressed her hands deeper into her pockets.

"I'm sorry. I can't imagine what that must feel like." Bucky smiled thinly and Sutton felt that perhaps he took his imaginary job as knight very seriously.

It was then that she noticed Steve making his way back over. He was proudly clutching a cup carrier with three tall coffees tucked inside. Her lip twitched and she pointed with her head.

"Looks like he made it after all."

Steve came through the gate and absentmindedly passed Bucky a cup labeled ' _black'_  on the side and then swiveled to face her. He tugged the frontmost cup from the carrier and regally held it out for her to accept. Sutton bit on her bottom lip.

"Thank you," she said, bobbing in a mock curtsey. She took a sip and allowed the hot, chocolatey coffee to warm her from her core. "Ah, awesome. You got it perfectly right." His lips quirked up even further and he passed her what change they gave him, then pulled out his own cup. Sutton glanced at the writing on the side. She grinned.

"Cappuccino," she said. "You've had one before?"  
Steve shook his head as he smiled down at her.

"I have never before heard of them. But I trust your judgement."

Sutton's eyes widened momentarily and she swiveled to check on Sprinkles.

" _Coffee don't fail me now."_

Still, she cut her eyes over to watch his reaction as he took his first drink. His eyes lit up and he stared down at the cup in awe as if it had bestowed some revelation on him.

"Bucky," he said. "You must try one. It is incredible."  
Bucky seemed faintly intrigued now that Steve was enthusiastic about it, but shook his head and nursed his own coffee.

"Perhaps another time," he said. Steve shrugged and took another drink. She'd never seen someone look so enraptured by something as basic as coffee. It was almost like everything was new and wonderful to him. It was unusual. It was worrisome. It was a bit endearing. Steve's eyes cut down to look at her from over his coffee cup unexpectedly and Sutton cleared her throat and looked away.

"Well at least you like it," she said. "It'd be a shameful waste of beans if you had to throw it away."

Sprinkles played and ran a bit longer. When she wore herself down she came panting back over to the group and Sutton rubbed at her head as she greeted her briefly and then circled around Steve. She barked twice pointedly and Steve rubbed behind her ears fondly. The other dogs in the park perked up and looked over. Sutton was pulling the leash back out of her pocket as almost every other loose dog came bounding over.

"Woah!"

Sutton dodged a bumbling English Sheepdog and almost tripped over a corgi as a gang of dogs suddenly surrounded Steve. He laughed a bit nervously and held his cappuccino out of their reach as he greeted them all.

"Hello friends," he said, attempting to keep them from jumping up and pawing his sweater. He moved closer to the park gate when he saw the leash in her hand and the dogs trailed happily after him. Some were yipping in excitement and they were all competing for his attention. Sprinkles wasn't violent, but she was jealously eyeing the other dogs who were just her friends seconds ago. She stuck close to Steve's legs and attempted to put herself between him and all the other animals.

Sutton could only watch dumbfounded as Steve tried to navigate with his own canine parade crowding behind him.

"What. The. Flip."

Bucky merely hopped the fence to avoid all the dirty pets as Steve seemed to be trying to find a  _polite_  way to leave them.

"I really have to go," he said. "I'm terribly sorry."

"No, really," said Sutton. "What the heck. Do you have a steak under your sweater or something?" She clipped the leash on Sprinkles' harness and, for once, the doberman seemed eager to leave the dog park. "I know that one." Sutton pointed to the English sheepdog. "His name is Watson and it took him three weeks to even come near me."

Steve ended up hopping the fence as well and Sutton was able to slip through the gate without any dogs darting out after her.

"As I've said, I'm good with animals."

Sutton squinted in disbelief at his innocent face. There was something off. Something off about both these guys. Never had a cappuccino? And why didn't Bucky seem weirded out by his pet magnet friend? Why did Steve look more embarrassed than freaked out by being ambushed by a slobbering mass of dogs?

Sutton drained the last of her coffee from her cup even as she kept her glare on Steve. She chucked the cup into a nearby trash bin and pointed a finger at Steve as she passed him.

"You're wearing a weird cologne or something. Because that was freaky."

"I'm-"

"Yeah, I know. You're  _good with animals._  Well, if you're so great with them, maybe you can help get Sprinkles cleaned up." Steve bowed marginally.

"Anything to help, Sutton."

"Oh, buddy. I don't think you even know what you're agreeing to."

Bucky was wise enough to stay out of the bathroom. Steve was too chivalrous or too dumb to back out of volunteering.

Sprinkles was a well behaved dog, no doubt. She knew tricks, she wiped her paws, she stayed and sat when told. But if there was one thing she did  _not like_ it was the bath.

To be truthful, Sutton tried to avoid baths at all possible costs. Because Sprinkles was almost the same size that she was and it was a war just to get the ritual complete. But she couldn't have a muddy dog traipsing through her apartment and sleeping on her bed. So, when they got back to her apartment and she'd said "bath", Sprinkles' ears had immediately gone back and she'd ducked down underneath the dining table.

"Think you can coax her out while I get a towel and soap?"

Sutton watched long enough to see what method Steve would use. She expected him to maybe coo softly while snagging her by the collar and dragging her out. She didn't expect him to kneel down, peg Sprinkles with an admonishing look, and start trying to reason with her.

"Come now, Sprinkles," he said. "This is beneath you. What is it about a bath that has you all worked up?"

Sutton shook her head in bewildered wonder and went to get a towel. Odds were she'd have to go back over and help him anyway. But when she turned around with a towel and pet shampoo bottle in hand, Steve was already standing in the bathroom doorway, Sprinkles drooped and pouting, but still there, by his side. Sutton's mouth hung open a minute as she eyed the pair.

"Maybe you are magic," she finally said. "I don't even know anymore."

Except Sprinkles compliance only lasted so long.

They'd managed to get Sprinkles all sudsed up and it was in that prime condition that Sprinkles decided that she would like to be done. She attempted to leave the bathtub and Sutton vainly fought to push her back.

"No! Sprinkles, stay! Steve."  
Steve reached out to gently nudge Sprinkles back into the tub. He made it look easy. And then Sprinkles let out a string of yowls and grumbles that Sutton always interpreted as complaining. Surprisingly, at this point, Sprinkles barked at Steve once and then reached forward, grabbing a chunk of his sweater, and pulled him forwards into the tub. Steve's arms pinwheeled as he tried to maintain his balance and failed, and his arm caught Sutton on his way down. Sutton let out a short scream as she fell forward and both of their bodies landed in a wet heap in her cheap tub.

Sprinkles scrambled out from behind them and darted out of the bathroom, leaving a wet, soapy trail in her wake.

Sutton let out a shocked gasp as water soaked into her clothes. Somehow she'd landed on top of Steve who'd cushioned her from knocking her head against the ceramic. He was grimacing slightly and Sutton was worried that he might've hit his head against the faucet.  _Er,_  with his size he might've broken it. She'd never get that security deposit back.

"Oh my gosh, are you ok? Did you hurt your head? I'm so sorry. I didn't know she'd-"

Steve laughed and cracked his eyes open. There was an amused gleam flashing through his eyes that made her stop. Sutton took in his now wet hair, flicking up at odd angles and noted that he was supporting her, holding her up by the waist away from most of the water. His sweater sleeves were still rolled up by his elbows.

He didn't look like a crazy man who thought he was a prince from a magical kingdom. He looked normal. He looked like someone she'd do a double-take for on the sidewalk.

"I'm fine," he said. Laughter tinged his tone. "Sprinkles certainly has strong opinions."

Sutton's eyes widened and she pushed against Steve's firm chest in a bid to free herself from the tub.

"Oh. Oh no. Sprinkles! Sprinkles get back in here! If you jumped on the couch- I swear!"

But before she could even get out of the bathroom, hardly out of the tub, Bucky was at the door with Sprinkles held easily in his arms. He eyed their awkward attempts to right themselves and another smirk flickered across his face.

"Very strong opinions," Bucky agreed. "And a sense of duty."

**[]**

They managed to get Sprinkles cleaned up the rest of the way and had to change themselves. Sutton did a load of laundry without procrastinating forever like she usually did because both men still only had two outfits a piece.

She put her own hair up in a bun, given that it was bound to frizz after getting damp, and set to work on dinner. In an attempt to distract Steve and Bucky, she popped  _Snow White_  into the DVD player and told them she thought it'd be right up their alley. It seemed to be working because they didn't interrupt her once while she cooked.

Dinner was just finished when the end of the movie wrapped up. Sutton leaned against the doorway and watched  _them_  as they rapturously watched the cartoon. The evil queen died. Snow White was rescued from the curse by True Love's Kiss. She and the prince rode away into the sunset. Sutton smiled unknowingly as she took in their awed, happy faces. It was like they were seeing the movie for the first time. Watching it with all the delight of a child. When the credits began to roll, she spoke up.

"So, did you guys like it?"

They both turned to her and she already had her answer by the looks on their faces alone. Steve's gaze darted up and down her form and she brushed a stray curl behind her ear.

"How long ago did this happen," Bucky asked. Sutton quirked a brow.

"You mean, when did the movie come out?"

"It's a history, correct," Bucky clarified. "How many years ago did it occur?"

She didn't laugh at him this time, though the humor of it still sparked through her. It should have occurred to her that they might have taken the film a bit too literally.

"It's not real," she said. "It's just a story. You know, like you tell kids before bed? That kind of thing. There's no such thing as poison apples and magic kisses."

They looked at each other as if in mutual belief that  _she_ was the insane one of the bunch. Sutton felt an odd pang. An uncalled for kind of sadness.

She was a bit charmed by their naivety, was warming up to their blatant kindness, but she found herself wishing they weren't quite so far gone in their delusions. If only they didn't believe in it so entirely.

Why  _if only?_  She shook head.

"Anyway," she said, "dinner is all ready if you're both hungry."

**[]**

"May I ask why you don't believe in happy endings," Steve asked in the middle of dinner. Sutton almost choked on her forkful of salad. Even Bucky cut his eyes up from his plate and paid attention as Sutton tried to figure out what to say. Steve made an attempt to clarify.

"You have that...movie, so I am assuming you enjoy the tale. And yet you profess to not believing in happy endings or magic."

"I enjoy stories," Sutton said. "Anything can happen in a story. It doesn't make it real."

Steve poked at his BBQ chicken and tilted his head downward.

"It just seems like a sad outlook. It- pardon my forwardness, but it just...doesn't seem to suit you."

Sutton stiffened and poked at her own meal.

"I'm not a pessimist, if that's what you're getting at. It's not like I think life is terrible and sad and there aren't any good moments. I'm realistic. There aren't always happy endings. Sometimes you have to work get to the good times. And another person showing up in your life and being some True Love just doesn't happen. Like, don't get me wrong, I love the sound of it. But I'm not holding my breath."

Steve put down his fork and looked a bit disappointed before he leveled his gaze at her.

"What if it could happen? What if it did?"  
Sutton laughed lightly, trying to break some of the tension. Tension over talking about  _magic,_ and  _True Love_ , and  _make believe._ She shrugged.

"Then I guess I'd have to eat my words."

Bucky looked away, back at his plate, and Steve nodded. Some unidentifiable flicker of emotion flashed across his face before Sutton focused once more on her own food.

**[][]**

The only light that illuminated the workshop came from a few candles spread around on table tops, and one large softly glowing orb that hung from the center of the ceiling. The light inside the orb twisted and shifted, as if it were a living organism lazily swimming in a bowl. Ancient books and scrolls were spilling off wooden shelves and spread across stone table tops. Over a cold, dead fireplace, a large pot hung; waiting for when it was needed again.

Tony sat hunched over one of his workbenches. His eyes were tinted red as he read yet another page of the tome he was searching. His eyes darted back and forth quickly, and after a moment his face crumbled into an angry grimace and he slammed the book closed.

"I'm going to have to seek them out," he muttered under his breath. "There's no other way."

"Seek who out?"

Tony turned to see Pepper standing in the room, her robe tied around her waist and a candlestick clutched in her grip. He glanced to the well of water in the middle of the floor and noted the stars reflected on the surface.

"Sorry dear," he said. "I didn't realize the time." Pepper frowned as she made her way over to him and ran a hand through his hair.

"Seek out who, Tony?"

He sighed in resignation and leaned into her touch. Pepper sat the candlestick on top of the workbench and tilted his head up so she could look into his eyes.

"The assassins," he confessed. Pepper's fingers stiffened briefly as she paused.

"Are you sure?"

"I don't have a choice. I can't risk Loki sensing my presence, and this has to be secret. If he knows that I am working to bring them back before I get a chance to, his attacks will become even more aggressive. He'll increase his security around The Vessel and our chances of rescuing them will diminish even more."

Pepper sighed as she sank into his lap and ran her fingernails gently over the back of his scalp.

"Do you really think they can succeed?"  
Tony sank his head into the crook of her shoulder.

"I don't like them either," he said, "but if there's anyone who  _can_  steal something out from under Loki's nose, it's the Order of the Shield."


	4. Chapter 4

"Let me see if I understand you correctly. You want us sneak into Loki's fortress, steal the Vessel of Light and Space, and then return it to you without one person noticing."

"That's correct," Tony said. He smiled widely at the duo, and the dirty blond of the pair blinked.

The two assassins were decked out in black leather breeches and vests with dark undershirts underneath. The woman's was a deep, blood red color while the man's was a royal purple. All the dark colors made the weapons strapped to their person harder to spot, but Tony still noted the short daggers and small potion flasks.

"Do you realize the magnitude of the job you're asking," the man asked. "What's in it for us?"

"Besides the safety of the entire kingdom?"  
The redhead woman smirked.

"The Order is already working on that."

Tony scoffed. He reached into a pouch hanging at his side and pulled out a handful of some colored powder. He threw it into the well in the floor and with a _crack_ images curled up into view like a hazy blue smoke. Sparkling flashes of light popped randomly as the images moved.

Prince Steven and the war hero, Sir James.

"Good luck restoring order in the kingdom when these two are in another world."  
The man in purple groaned as his shoulders went slack.

"Are you honest," he complained. "Natasha, you didn't mention this."

For the first time, Natasha's lips twitched downwards.

"I wasn't given this information."

Tony moved around the room; picked up a decanter and poured himself a drink.

"No doubt," he said. "It's taken a lot of work from the royal cabinet to keep it quiet. No need for chaos when we can avoid it."

"Clint, make a note to speak with Fury when we get back," Natasha murmured. The images above the well flickered out and Tony downed the rest of his glass.

"If you need more besides praise, fame, and the eternal gratitude of the entire kingdom and royal family, I'm sure it wouldn't be out of line to suggest you may be compensated for your efforts."

Clint held up a finger.

"We are speaking of financial compensation, correct? Gold, gems? Perhaps a moonstone?" That earned him a glare.

"Don't push your luck," Tony said. "But you will be paid. Handsomely. So, what do you say? Is the shadowy Order of the Shield as capable as the stories claim?"  
Natasha smiled.

"I'm starting to think this sounds like fun."

[][][]

"Gold," Sutton muttered under her breath. She dug through the jeans in the bottom drawer of her dresser and searched through all the pockets. "I swear I put it in the pocket of these- aha!"

She held the two gold coins triumphantly and then expelled all the air from her lungs. With needing more groceries than usual, she was going to have to trade the coins in. Sutton rubbed at her forehead as she sat in a crouch. She didn't want to go, but necessity dictated she head out soon. Sutton slid the coins into the pocket of the pants she was wearing and stood.

Steve and Bucky were loitering around as usual. She felt a little odd that they had nothing to do, didn't seem to think they needed to do anything to "get home".

How long would she let them stay with her?

They looked up when she entered the room, actually stood, and she smiled thinly.

"Hey. I just need to run an errand really quick. If you want to-"  
"We'll accompany you," Steve interrupted. Sutton stammered.

"Actually I wasn't going to-" But they both already had their shoes on and were opening her front door. They must have not liked being cooped up in her apartment. Sutton chewed the inside of her lip and shoved her keys into her small purse as she followed after them.

"Alright," she said. "I guess you can come."

She felt like she had a couple of towering body guards as they all trekked down the sidewalk. Since she'd left Sprinkles at home, she was able to shove her hands into her coat. The gold coins pressed into her leg as she walked.

People crowded and moved around them. As usual the streets smelled wet and dirty. Sutton kept her head and eyes down, avoiding bumping shoulders with people like a well seasoned pro. Steve and Bucky seemed as though they were used to crowds moving out of their way, and a couple people were sent flying across the sidewalk as they checked shoulders with them.

It was a bit of a walk to where she was trying to go. Sutton decided it would be safer to take the bus.

She paid the fare for all of them and watched as Steve and Bucky awkwardly followed after her.

"You might want to sit," Sutton suggested. Bucky looked fascinated by the vehicle and Steve looked down at her.

"Why-"  
The bus lurched back out into the street and both men almost toppled over. Sutton bit her bottom lip and fought a small smile.

"That's why."

They rode the bus through busy city streets. Sutton mildly wondered, not for the first time, how people dared to drive in the city. She had a license, but she'd had to sell her car. She wouldn't have been brave enough to drive it here even if she had one.

The bus finally stopped at a familiar corner and Sutton stood, gesturing for Steve and Bucky to follow her. Another block down and she could see the shop peeking out from a line of concrete store fronts. She hunched her shoulders further.

"Are you alright," Steve asked from beside her. Sutton glanced up from under her brows to see his concerned face.

"I'm fine," she said. "Just not my favorite errand."

The shop door opened setting off a ringing bell and Sutton made her way to the front counter. An older gentleman emerged from a back room. He was a bit stooped with age and had large, coke bottle glasses, but he wore a bright smile that outshone even his white hair.

"Miss Sutton," he called. He reached out a hand to grasp hers and gave her a friendly shake. "Wonderful to see you again." Sutton forced herself to smile.

"Mr. L," she said. "You're looking as cheerful as ever." Mr. L's attention flickered to her companions and he tilted his head.

"Can I help you gentlemen?"  
"They're actually with me," Sutton said.

"Alright then. What do you have for me this time? More hoop earrings? Another ring?"

Sutton's false smile only grew tighter.

"Nope," she said sharply. "Found something new."

She pulled the coins from her pocket and sat them on the countertop between them. Mr. L adjusted his glasses and rubbed his hands together.

"Marvelous," he said. "Let's have a look."

Sutton stepped back as he inspected the gold coins; made sure they were real and then weighed them.

"These seem like something that should be going to a collector, not to me," he eventually said. "This stamp looks like something they used in ancient Rome. What is Andolasia anyway?"

"I, uh, I think they're just a limited edition novelty item, actually," Sutton said. She forced out a laugh and gestured at the coins. "So, how much are they worth?"

Mr. L pulled out a calculator and punched in some numbers.

"I can give you twenty-five hundred. They're a decent weight," he said. "Although you could probably get more if they were authentic artifacts."

"I really doubt it. The twenty-five hundred is fine, thank you."

Mr. L moved to pull out a checkbook and filled it out. Sutton shifted on her feet, eyed the door, and avoided the gazes of the men with her. She drummed her fingers against her leg as she watched Mr. L finish off the check with a flourish of his pen and a smile.

"There you go," he said. "Making the big bucks now, huh?"  
Sutton accepted the check without looking at it and slid it into the wallet in her purse.

"Thanks again, Mr. L. You take care."

He waved waved goodbye and Sutton darted from the shop and started speed walking back down the sidewalk.

Steve and Bucky both took a few quick paces to catch up and then evened out their stride. Figured, she didn't have the leg span to keep ahead of them.

"What's wrong," asked Steve. He sounded worried. Why would he sound worried when he hardly knew her? Why did he care? Sutton tucked some hair behind her ear and continued on. She tried to flash an easy smile up at him to curb any suspicion.

"Nothing. I just need to get this check to an ATM before it gets dark. These streets get creepy at night."

"Maybe it wasn't enough," Bucky said lowly, over her head. Steve made something like a _tsking_ sound in the back of his throat and Sutton rolled her eyes in misdirected irritation.

"It's not about the money."  
"Has he cheated you when you've come before," Steve asked. Sutton shoved her hands into her coat pockets and scowled.

"No. He's one of the few honest ones. That's why I make the trip out."

"Then why-"  
The bus stop came into view and Sutton swiveled on the heel of her foot, walking backwards as she pegged both men with a look.

"It's kind of personal, actually. Sorry, but I don't want to talk about it." Their gazes flickered away and Steve winced.

"My apologies. I shouldn't have pried."

At his shamed face Sutton felt something inside her twist and she let out a quiet breath, turning back around she eyed the bus sign.

"It's fine; you didn't know." A beat passed and she shook out her shoulders, straightened herself up. Reminded herself that she couldn't get like this. "I'm not feeling like cooking tonight. What do you say we eat out? I can't really afford anything worthy of royalty, but there's a decent burger place near my apartment."

Bucky and Steve seemed to understand the suggestion as a gesture that there were no hostilities. They gave murmured agreements with her suggestion.

"What is a burger," asked Bucky. Sutton groaned.

"No way."

[][]

They were pleasantly surprised by the burgers. Sutton enjoyed not having to worry about the time while she ate. Enjoyed the fact that she didn't have to be scared about being out on the streets after dark alone. She tried to ignore that she felt safe with two guys she'd only known a matter of days. Told herself that she should definitely _not_ feel that way. It wouldn't do her any favors in the long run.

She dipped a fry into her cup of sauce and popped it into her mouth. Bucky was attempting to wipe bbq sauce out of his chainmail sleeve and Sutton wondered why he was _still_ wearing it. Didn't even take it off to eat. It must have been a bad deformity, or injury, perhaps. That or it just played into his fairytale beliefs. Sutton wasn't sure which was more concerning. The waitress came by, beaming and offering more water, and Sutton paused as she filled their glasses. She was glad she had enough at the moment to leave a decent tip.

"So," she said as she twirled another fry in her sauce, "what's, uh, Andolasia like?"  
Both men paused in their eating and glanced at each other before looking back at her. Sutton looked up at their hesitation and continued to pick at her fries.

"You believe it's real?"  
She winced at Steve's wary tone and hunched her shoulders.

"I just- I mean, I'm curious. I wouldn't mind… a story."

It was quiet at the table a moment. Sutton listened to the murmuring chatter in the diner and shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"Sorry. You don't have to, I-"

"Steve fell off a horse right in front of Asgardian diplomats once. Fell asleep and slid right off in the middle of official goodbyes after trade negotiations." Steve let out an insulted cry.

"Bucky! That was years ago; we were children."

Sutton laughed and Steve scowled. Bucky shrugged while grinning slyly.

"It still created quite a stir, if I recall."

"Do they last that long," Sutton asked while grinning. "Official goodbyes that is. Is it a process or something?"

Bucky raised his brows and turned to Steve, passing off the question, and eagerly anticipated his answer. Steve hunched in his chair and busied himself with chewing another bite to stall answering.

"Bucky and I had stayed up too late the previous evening. Hunting for dragons in the forest."

"And whose idea was that?" Sutton covered her smile at Bucky's taunting. Her expression flickered, however, as she noticed they were actually telling a story. Offering bits of the whole in turn and not contradicting each other. As if they'd already had this planned out. As if it were actually something that had happened to them. She shook her head and caught the waitress's attention, signaling she'd like the check.

"What about Andolasia," she asked, cutting off their silent bickering. "What does it actually look like?" Perhaps she could gauge where they were from with a decent description.

"Lushly wooded," said Steve. "And mountainous in the distance. It's truly the most

beautiful kingdom in the land."

"The city is cleaner," Bucky added. "And smells better."

Sutton tilted her head in thought. Perhaps Canada. Woods and mountains and, what had they called them? Frost Giants? She hoped they weren't fighting tall people in parkas. Maybe they were polar bears? Instead she said,

"That sounds beautiful."

Steve leaned forward over the table as Sutton accepted the bill and started digging some cash out of her wallet.

"Perhaps you can visit. When we return, of course. You may find you...like it." Sutton flashed him a humoring smile.

"Maybe," she said.

They returned to her apartment and Sutton slipped out one last time to let Sprinkles stretch her legs and go to the bathroom. At least, she'd anticipated slipping out by alone, but she found herself being followed again because it was "dark" and "not safe to be out unaccompanied". Sutton rolled her eyes and told herself she was peeved. Annoyed. She had been living on her own for quite awhile. But her heartbeat didn't skitter like it usually did when she passed the eerie alley at the end of her building. The shadowy silhouette on the corner across the street didn't have her tensing up. She managed to make it back home without even one person asking her for some cash.

Sprinkles clung to Steve's side back in the apartment, as if he might leave at any moment and never return. Sutton poured kibble into Sprinkles' bowl then changed into a pair of sweats and a tee for the evening.

When she came back out into the main living space, Steve was on the couch with an entire doberman attempting to curl up on his lap and Bucky was snickering quietly. She couldn't help but smile. The apartment felt warmer with the extra people in it and she didn't even have to turn on the television to fight the quiet.

"How about a movie night," she suggested before she could talk herself out of it. "I've still got some snack foods in the cupboard. Oh! And ice cream. Cookie dough, the best obviously."

"Movies," questioned Steve. "Like the tale of Snow White?" Sutton grinned.

"Sure. We'll make it a Disney night. Just pick out which DVDs you're interested in from that top shelf under the TV and I'll get the snacks."

She forgot the funk she'd found herself in after visiting the gold shop. Steve had been insistent on _Cinderella_ , which she found somehow fitting, and Bucky had picked _Beauty and the Beast_. Sutton contributed _Tangled_ just to mix things up a bit.

There wasn't much seating in her apartment, so they all had to squeeze onto her one sofa and precariously balance all their snacks while a stubborn Sprinkles insisted on being included in on the activities.

They spent the evening laughing with feet propped up on her old coffee table and eating melting ice cream as cartoon princesses sang and danced and fought for their own happy endings.

Steve mentioned that Cinderella's castle looked similar to his own and that the ball gowns were "a bit plain" but "serviceable" he supposed. Bucky liked they way they drew the magic.

Sutton hummed along to the music as she ate another spoonful of ice cream from the bowl propped up on Sprinkles' rear, which was in her lap. The front half of Sprinkles was stretched out over Steve's legs, who had insisted that he didn't mind when she'd awkwardly suggested sometime in the middle of _Beauty and the Beast_ that he could kick Sprinkles off his lap.

It was warm and cheerful, and even just sitting pressed up against another person felt like it was filling some gaping hole in her that she'd been ignoring. If she melted a bit more into Steve's side than she strictly had to, well, that was just because her couch was old and the cushions were caving.

Sometime after Rapunzel and Flynn sang amongst a sky full of lanterns, Sutton started to drift. Once, she told herself that she should get up but it was so warm and she was comfortable. Besides, how was she supposed to stand with Sprinkles sitting on her? She pinched lightly at her arm to wake herself back up.

"Hey. Sutton?"

Her shoulder rocked gently and Sutton let out a quiet whine while opening her eyes. She blinked a couple times, her brain loading, and caught the gaze of a smiling Steve. Sprinkles was gone. Bucky was in the kitchen eating leftovers and he had her full and undivided attention. Sutton finally realized that her head was propped up on Steve's shoulder and she jerked away and stood.

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry. I didn't-"

Steve held up his hands.

"It's quite alright, really. I-I didn't mind. It has been growing late."

Heat engulfed her. The credits were just ending for _Tangled_ , so at least she hadn't been asleep too terribly long. Still, she wiped under her eyes and smoothed down her hair while avoiding making eye contact.

She fell asleep. With two full grown men in her house. She'd cozied right on up and just let herself lose consciousness. Worse, she already missed the warmth.

Sutton forced a false cough.

"Well, um, good. I mean- I'm glad it didn't- didn't bother- you know what? I better get to bed. Work tomorrow and all that. Sprinkles. _Sprinkles!_ "

Sprinkles cut her eyes at Sutton and looked torn. Sutton snapped her fingers and Sprinkles begrudgingly trotted over.

"Goodnight," Sutton called over her shoulder. She hurried down the hall and closed her door behind her. Leaning against it, she let out a ragged breath. Only a couple days and they were wrecking her.

They had to leave soon.

[]

Steve watched Sutton flee back to her room with Sprinkles at her heels. His hand that had been outstretched slowly lowered back down to his side and his face dipped into a frown. He idled a moment and then looked to Bucky who was just finishing up his late night snack.

"I'm afraid she's not very fond of me," he said. "Do you think I'm being too forward with her?"

Bucky rolled his eyes. He put his plate in the sink and then walked over to clap Steve on the back.

"Some mares are just skittish," he said. Steve frowned further.

"An inept analogy," he said flatly.

"My apologies, majesty. I meant no offense."

Steve sighed, sounding in distress, and Bucky tilted his head.

"Although you didn't hear it from me, but I believe Sutton may have used the word _cute_ when previously speaking of you."

He clapped Steve once more on the back and then moved towards the bathroom. Steve stiffened and blinked.

"Cute," he said. "Cute? Wait, Bucky, when-"  
Bucky closed the door in his prince's face and Steve was forced to back off or risk alerting Sutton. He shot a glare at the bathroom door and made his way back to the guest room.

"Cute," he murmured, sitting on the bed. "She thinks I'm cute."

[]

The next morning broke early and Sutton was still feeling off kilter. She got ready for work on autopilot and let Sprinkles out before heading to work. Most of the time she didn't look forward to heading to the office, but she found that she was relieved at the distance it provided after the previous night.

She still couldn't believe that she'd fallen asleep in front of them. Had used Steve as a pillow. Had- hadn't minded it.

And that. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Everything else she could have dealt with. Everything else could have been remedied. But her becoming attached to the two weirdoes, to Steve, was not an option.

She stormed into the building and rode up the elevator as a woman on a mission. So intent on marching out of the elevator, she almost ran into Alexandra. Her coworker was just coming from down the opposite hall and distractedly adjusting her hair; Sutton staggered to a stop before she knocked into her and they both had a sour morning.

"Oh, hey Sutton." Alexandra looked down at the watch on her wrist and the back up. "You're not late yet!"  
"Ah, actually I was just...eager to get in today," Sutton said. She shrugged and rubbed at her arm. Alexandra nodded.

"One of those days? Family stuff?" Sutton held back a wince.

"Uh, apartment issues, actually."

"Oh yikes. My advice? Befriend at least one person on your floor. That way you have someone to team up with when things go wrong. Homemade cookies go a long way in winning people over, fyi." Sutton readjusted her purse on her shoulder and smiled thinly.

"I'll keep that in mind," she said. "Thanks."

[]

She made sure to catch up on the work that she'd slacked off on previously. Driving herself to distraction helped calm her down a bit. By lunch she was feeling more settled and by the end of the day she'd convinced herself that she had reorganized all her emotions and had them under control. Alexandra winked at her on her way out and called,

"Don't forget the cookies!"  
Sutton gave her a thumbs up and wished her a good night.

It was raining again when she left the building. She'd forgotten her umbrella, so she popped up her hood and hunkered down into her jacket as she trekked onward.

Home, work, home.

She pulled up the collar of her jacket. Perhaps she should get a few hobbies. Something besides standing awkwardly at the edge of the dog park or throwing a squeaker toy.

Sutton took off her jacket and shook the water off while she was still in the hallway outside the elevator. Better the water on their carpet instead of hers. There was a familiar hunched figure near her door, however. The hair on her arms prickled as Gary tapped on the bottom of her door with his boot, as if quietly knocking. She'd say that she had never seen him act so creepy, but there was always the high probability that just she'd never caught him. Reaching into her purse, she grabbed her keys and slid a few between her knuckles, clenched her hand into a fist.

"You need something, Gary?"

Gary startled and turned to face her with wide red-rimmed eyes. There was a toxic sort of sweet smell radiating from him and she held her breath. Sutton didn't bother smiling even falsely this time. Her shoulders were tense, stance rigid. She felt along the ridges of her keys still hidden in her pocket to make sure they were tooth-side up.

"Thought I heard something," Gary finally said. "Still have your… cousin over?"

"That's not really your business." Gary scoffed and shifted as if she were being rude. He lifted his hands up in defense and raised his brows in a blatantly patronizing move.

"No need to get huffy. Just trying to be a good neighbor."

"No need to start now. So, do you mind moving?" She flashed her teeth. Gary blinked, slow to decipher her meaning and body language, then scowled.

"Just sayin'. Hate to see the landlord find you breakin' the rules." Sutton's fist tightened

around her keys and she pulled her hand out of her pocket.  
"You know, I could say the same thing. I could have sworn there was a no smoking clause in the rental contract. Don't remember ever giving you a _neighborly_ reminder about that before."

His face darkened at that, his lip pulling up a bit and Sutton shifted her stance. He moved, but slowly, and Sutton whistled loudly as she edged towards the door. There was a brief quiet, and then the front door vibrated with a _bang_ and a throaty barking exploded into the hall. Gary fully recoiled.

"Geez, lady," he said, slinking down. "You threatening me?"  
Sutton's hand shook slightly as she unlocked the door. It burst open when she turned the handle and Sutton fumbled to catch Sprinkles' collar before she could actually tear down the hall. Gary let out a shout and ran stumbling back to his own apartment, slamming the door shut behind him.

Sprinkles continued to bark, the deep upset kind that was real. Sutton held her back and pulled her into the apartment behind her.

"Easy," she said between panting breaths. "Easy. Good girl, easy now. You did it."

Sutton kneeled down and let go of Sprinkles' collar. Sprinkles turned and whined, licking at Sutton's face and paced around her in agitation before licking her face again.

"I'm fine."

"What happened!"  
Sutton looked up. Steve had one shoe on and Bucky was holding his sword and they both looked like they'd been spooked into action. She took a deep breath and felt the adrenaline start to drain.

"Nothing," she said. "It was just a run in with Gary. He was being weird again."  
Bucky's face darkened.

"That foe," he questioned. "I can have words with him."

"Did he hurt you?"  
Sutton waved a hand in dismissal.

"No, it wasn't a big deal. Really. I'm pretty sure he just wants to break in here and steal some stuff."

Both men looked scandalized.

"Not a big deal," Steve admonished.

"He is allowed to roam free," asked Bucky. Sutton laughed lightly and stood.

"You can't arrest someone for _wanting_ to commit a crime."

Steve straightened and glared through the door.

" _I_ can," he insisted. Sutton sighed and pat him on the chest on her way to the kitchen.

"This isn't Andolasia. It's Seattle. No you can't."

For the first time since Steve and Bucky arrived, Sprinkles followed closely after Sutton of her own free will. Sutton made a pot of coffee and took a mug with her to the couch. Sprinkles hopped up flush against her and made sure her head was in the perfect position to receive pets.

Taking a sip of her coffee, Sutton hummed. She peeked over the rim to note that both men still looked unsettled and stiff. She cocked her head to the side and lifted a brow.

"Are you still upset," she asked. "I'm fine."

Steve finally took off the one shoe he'd managed to put on and came around to sit on the arm of her couch.

"But you might not have been." She smiled, knowing humoring him would probably be the only way to appease him.

"Look, this was really nothing. He didn't even try anything. Besides, I survived this long on my own. What do you think I have Sprinkles for?"  
Bucky curled his chainmail hand into a fist and leaned against the wall.

"You shouldn't have to. Everyone has support."

He hadn't said it, but Sutton heard the underlying point.

_Where is your family? Where are your friends?_

She decided to ignore the implied questions.

"Look, if it means so much to you, the next time Gary is weird, you can have a nice friendly chat, ok? That is, I mean, if you're still here."

They wouldn't be. She knew that.

They _couldn't_ be.

A pity, really. It would've been fun to watch.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm assuming I won't get another chapter up before Christmas so... Merry Christmas to those who celebrate! :)

Loki's fortress rose from out of the craggy side of his mountain with an unmissable glimmer and a baffling height. Despite the snowy surroundings, he had chosen a blinding gold to make up his outside walls so that the structure flashed in the available light and stood out from the bleak skies.

It was all a bit ostentatious for Natasha. It begged to be noticed and carried the arrogance to believe no one could break through its walls. But no fortress was impenetrable; not from her at least.

She and Clint climbed up the cold terrain outfitted in their thick white and gray cloaks and were armed with only magicless items. Kind could sense kind, afterall, and there was no sense in risking a potion or two when Loki might be near enough to feel even the barest tingles of it. Especially not with the kingdom in so precarious a position and with Loki moving progressively closer to the boundaries of their land.

Fury had told them that, at least. Natasha still wasn't happy that he'd kept that the soon-to-be king and his top knight had been cursed out of their world.

"I think I'm half frozen," Clint complained for at least the third time as they neared the foundation of the fortress. Natasha tossed a droll look over her shoulder and continued on.

"We at least know your mouth isn't part of the frozen half."

"Are we close yet?"

Natasha didn't bother responding. Instead she held up a fist as she ducked down and stopped moving. Ahead, a patrol of Frost Giants marched by outside the front gates. They were tall, as their name suggested, and blue-skinned with red eyes. The cold didn't touch them; it was well known that they carried ice magic under their skin. Even a glance of skin contact could have you losing fingers or limbs. Natasha had seen it happen in the past.

She watched them with sharp eyes until they disappeared from sight, then switched her gaze over towards the fortress once more. Turning back to Clint, she gestured with her hands, utilizing a silent language they'd both learned that was handy for stealth.

" _There's guards on rotation and activity inside. We'll have to swing around to a side entrance."_

" _Servants quarters or kitchen,"_  Clint suggested. " _Those are always open."_

" _Let's go then."_

They had to move slowly and be especially quiet now with being so close. It was tedious travel. Clint made sure to step in the same tracks that Natasha left to cut down on the noise. By the time they reached around to the side, the cold was beginning to nip at even her. But, as always, she pushed down the discomfort to do the job at hand.

A polished wooden door with gold inlay that set in the wall they were creeping along opened and closed. A servant bundled in a thick coat and carting a bucket of slop shuffled out into the snow in order to toss out the garbage down the hill. Natasha waved her hand and they both darted for the door, slipping through and closing it again without making a sound.

The hall was dim, with a cobblestone floor and vaulted ceilings to accommodate the height of the occupants. The scent of baked goods and spices were thick in the air. They moved more quickly. If they were caught out in the open it'd be a mess trying to leave alive, and Natasha would rather avoid any confrontations if she could.

They breathed briefly into their cupped hands as they adjusted to the reprieve from the cold and moved further towards the heart of the structure.

"Alright," Clint whispered. "Where would you keep an all-powerful cube if you had one?"

Natasha grinned.

**[]**

Sutton sat in her apartment staring at the wall blankly. It was quiet, save for Sprinkles' anxious pacing back and forth across the room. She held out a hand, hovering in the air, to catch along the top of Sprinkles' head every time she passed in a lazy attempt at petting. Sprinkles stopped pacing, stuck her nose in Sutton's face, and whined loudly.

"Stop," said Sutton. She scratched behind Sprinkles' one bent ear and sighed. "It was like this before they came. You'll have to get used to it again eventually."

But Sprinkles just whined again, the sound deepening as she yawned in distress and resumed pacing. Sutton rolled her eyes.

"They're outside," she said. Sprinkles perked up at the word and ran to the front door. She turned in an excited circle and briefly pranced on her front paws. Sutton groaned. "No, not you."

A knock on her door drew away her attention and Sutton let out a relieved sigh.

"Finally."

Sutton stood from her couch and grabbed an envelope off her table before shoving Sprinkles out of the way and opening the front door. A tall, thin man in a second-hand suit stood outside her door and nodded once.

"Miss Regan," he said. "I trust you're doing well."

"I'm getting by, thank you Mr. Gardner. I've got the rent right here."

She held up the envelope with the check inside and passed it over. Mr. Gardner accepted the envelope primly, pulled the flap open to peer at the check, and then tucked it into his jacket pocket as he always did.

"Wonderful," he said. Sutton was always vaguely amused by his dry tone. As if he were an alien making attempts to connect to normal humans, but hadn't ever quite figured out how. "Everything is still working?"

"No issues since you last had the heat repaired." Sutton reassured him. Sprinkles nudged at her legs, trying to squeeze by and leave the apartment, and Sutton pushed her back with a foot. "It was nice seeing you, as always, Mr. Gardner," she said pointedly.

His eyes darted from her back into the apartment, but it was empty and silent save for her and Sprinkles. He looked down to Sprinkles and his lips thinned. Sutton edged further in front of Sprinkles and squared her shoulders.

"Anything else?"

"No," he said, drawing the word out. "I believe that's all." He finally settled his attention back to her and dipped his head. "Have a pleasant rest of your day." Sutton tilted her head in reply.

"You too."

She shut the door in relief and distracted Sprinkles by getting out her harness and leash while she waited for Mr. Gardner to move a few doors down the hall. He didn't always collect personally, sometimes he had an assistant do it, but Sutton noticed that he did it more often for her. She guessed there was some canine bias there.

Sprinkles sneezed in excitement as the harness was secured. Sutton wiggled Sprinkles' head back and forth with a smile as she stalled a bit more.

"You proved him wrong again, didn't you?  _Good girl_. You haven't trashed the apartment  _one bit_. Not like Mrs. Henderson's yappy Yorkie, huh? And if mean ol' Gary tries to tattle on you, we get to say how creepy and snoopy his is,  _don't we_? We'll let Mr. Gardner know about the couple plants he shouldn't be growing in his apartment,  _won't we_?"

Sprinkles surged forwards towards the door, dragging Sutton with her, and Sutton grunted as she righted herself.

"Alright, alright. Fine. I think the coast is clear enough. Let's go find the boys."

Sprinkles pulled on her lead despite knowing better and Sutton did her best to keep her dog from trampling over anyone as they finally made their way out of the apartment complex. Outside, Sprinkles paused and sniffed the air hurriedly and Sutton rolled her eyes.

"Go ahead; find them. Use your sniffer."

Her arm pulled in its socket as Sprinkles shot down the sidewalk. A few people yelped and Sutton sent them apologetic waves as she kept her grip on Sprinkles' leash. Steve and Bucky had only made themselves scarce from the apartment for about forty-five minutes. The fact that Sprinkles was acting like Sutton had already kicked them out and sent them on their way days ago made her unsettled.

How would her dog react when they actually left?

Sutton regained control of the walk, ordering Sprinkles to  _heel_  a few times before she actually did so, but continued on in their quest to find their friends.

"They really can't stay forever," Sutton said, but Sprinkles ignored her. "I've already stretched out their stay longer than I meant to. And everyone leaves eventually."

Sutton felt the more focused tug as Sprinkles spotted her targets, and she noted Steve and Bucky standing next to a market stall selling flowers and sweets. The vendor actually looked annoyed, and Sutton picked up her pace.

"-perfectly valid currency," Steve was arguing. "My friend was able to receive fair compensation for it."

"Look, man, I'm not taking it. It's cash or card only; I'm not a coin collector."

"Do you know who you're speaking to," Bucky cut in.

Sutton let out a short ' _hyep!'_ as she hopped forward and let Sprinkles cut in front of the vendor's table.

"There you guys are!" She beamed brightly and tried to nudge them forwards. Flashing a smile at the vendor, she waved and turned back to the men. "Well I'm all finished with my stuff, so let's go! Alright, come on. Vamos."

Both men still appeared frustrated, but with Sprinkles attempting to weave herself around Steve's legs and Sutton pushing at their backs, she was able to get them away from the market booth and out of sight down the sidewalk.

She sighed as they left the conflict behind and she shot an exasperated scowl up at Bucky and Steve.

"I leave you two alone for an hour," she said, "and you already almost get into a fight in Pike's Place."

"It was not almost a fight," Steve argued. "The man was just being obstinate."

"Since when is gold coin not accepted," asked Bucky.

"Oh, I don't know. Since the 1600s? What were you trying to get anyway? What was so important that you felt like you had to cause a scene."

"Nothing," Steve said quickly before Bucky could answer. Sutton ran a hand through her curls.

"If you need something, you can just ask."

Steve's jaw clenched slightly. Sutton frowned. She'd started wondering if perhaps these two were fine with accepting support from whomever would give it to them. But the face Steve had just made… she recognized it.

_Pride._

Her mother had made that face more than once when neighbors tried to offer support or money. There was always that flash of anger, that tilt of the head and thinning of the lips. That glint in the eye that said they'd almost rather starve first than admit they were struggling.

He didn't like being solely dependant on her. He didn't like having to ask for things.

"Sorry," she said. Both men looked at her. "You know, it wasn't actually that big of a deal. How about some coffee? Bucky still hasn't tried a cappuccino."

Bucky was a sport and willingly tried the drink. Steve ordered a white mocha and Sutton got a simple vanilla latte. She was wondering why the barista was eyeing them so oddly, when she followed the girl's gaze and finally understood she was gawking at Bucky's chainmail covered hand. Sutton didn't think she'd seen him without it on since they popped into her life. With a shake of her head she dismissed it and paid for their drinks.

The cappuccino turned out to be acceptable to Bucky. One sip of the white mocha and Steve's face puckered. Sutton laughed.

"What's the matter? Don't like it?"

One might've thought Sutton made the drink herself with the way he fumbled to try and come up with some polite excuse.

"No, it's good. I just, well, it's a bit sweet. But no matter!" He took another sip and cringed. Sutton snickered again and pushed over her latte.

"Here," she said. "I'll trade you."

"I couldn't-"  
"Steve, it's fine. Really. I like white mochas."

She grabbed his cup and wiped the rim with her thumb before taking a drink. Steve watched her and followed her finger as she tapped the latte's lid.

"I think you'll like this one better. It's more basic."

There was a lingering pause, and then a  _bang_  from under the table. Steve jerked in his seat.

"Right," he said. "T-thank you."

His reaction to the latte was more positive and Sutton smiled.

"Although, if you're a king-"

"Not quite."

"In all but name," said Bucky.

"Then I probably should've tried the drink before giving it to you. Didn't they do that? To make sure it wasn't poisoned?"

"You'd never be given that duty," Steve said firmly. Sutton hummed.

"Probably right. I'd most likely end up a chambermaid. Or maybe a baker if I were really lucky." Steve's lips ticked down.

"No," he insisted. Sutton raised a brow and rested her chin on her fist.

"Oh? Alright then. What job do  _you_  think I'd have if I lived in a magical kingdom?"

Bucky smirked and eyed her posture, then mimicked it; resting his own chin on his chainmail fist.

"Yes. What job would she have, your majesty?"

Steve fiddled with his cup and rotated it on the table top.

"Well," he said. "I think-"

A loud bark sounded from outside, and Steve abruptly stopped speaking as they all turned to look. Sprinkles was staring at them through the window and had edged forwards as far as her tied leash would allow. Sutton thought she heard Steve sigh, but didn't mention it.

"I guess being seven feet away is too much for her to handle. She's going to absolutely lose her mind when you guys leave. Well, Steve, mostly. Sorry Bucky. You and I are in the  _optional_  category." Bucky waved off the slight without much offense.

"She cares about you," Steve said as they stood.

"I used to think so." Sutton huffed, miffed. "Now I see she was just waiting for someone better to come along."

"She wouldn't pick me over you if it came down to it."

"I would." Sutton muttered as she took another swig of the mocha and made for the door. Bucky hurried forwards to open the door for both of them.

"What an interesting thing to say," he commented as she passed him. Sutton blinked, realized he'd heard her, and shot him a scathing glare.

" _Zip it, Lancelot_."

**[]**

Sutton wasn't sure what all they'd been attempting to shop for in the market, but she took them back to the thrift store to pick up a few more things because she felt bad they had to keep switching between the same two outfits. She made Bucky put back a jacket that looked like it could've been in a Michael Jackson music video and had about 50 buckles on it, but otherwise they did fine with picking themselves.

Another quick stop at the dog park where Sprinkles was a bit more wary to let Steve near the other dogs, and Sutton was glad to call it a day.

She made breakfast for dinner because she could and hummed to herself as she worked. Steve insisted he could help. It was on the tip of her tongue to decline the offer, just because he didn't seem to have much cooking experience and it was easier to do things herself, but then she remembered the expression he'd made earlier. Recalled the pride and the frustration that had flashed across his face, and so she gave him the bowl for the pancake mix and instructed him to follow the directions on the box.

Bucky watched idley from her dining table, a book in front of him, and stayed out of the way. Her tiny kitchen was already crowded with her and Steve, not to mention an ever present Sprinkles who was keenly watching Sutton pull out the bacon. Sutton booped Sprinkles on the nose then pulled out a frying pan.

"Only one piece this time," she said. "You're getting too spoiled."

Sprinkles let out an insulted sneeze and reaffirmed her place next to the stove, edging so that she was just in Sutton's line of sight.

Steve followed the pancake recipe almost too closely. Sutton stole glances from the corner of her eye as she watched him carefully measure out each ingredient in the measuring cups she'd given him. Even going to far as to double check the portions and avidly watch the clock on her stove so that he mixed the batter for precisely two minutes like it said. She pursed her lips while trying to fight back a smile and devoted extra attention to the bacon.

Sutton dropped two pieces of bacon in Sprinkles' bowl and added a cupful of kibble over it before they sat down to eat themselves. Sprinkles usually didn't beg as much if she felt like she got her "fair share" of the meal.

All the food was brought to the table, along with some scrambled eggs and syrup and a stick of butter. Sutton thought she liked the way it all looked on her table. Like a real meal instead of eating on her couch or over the sink. If she could get a couple placemats and napkins, she could make it-  _no._ She shook her head. No point thinking like that. What use would she have for placemats and fancy napkins when they were gone? It'd be wasted money.

They sat down to eat, each going to their own claimed chairs. Sutton made sure to let Steve know that the pancakes were delicious.

In the middle of the meal, Sutton was once again distracted by Bucky's arm. He was trying to make sure he didn't get syrup on the chainmail and she imagined that'd be uncomfortable to say the least; to have sticky fingers wrapped in sticky metal links. She prodded at her eggs and chewed on her bottom lip a moment.

"Hey, Bucky. Do you mind if I ask you a question? If it's personal or makes you uncomfortable, you obviously can just ignore me."  
Bucky looked up quickly and blinked. His gaze darted to Steve, who was also now paying attention, and he looked back to Sutton with his head tilted to the side a bit.

"Of course," he said.

"Why do you always wear the one chainmail sleeve? I don't think I've seen you with it off once since you've been here. I was just thinking it'd be uncomfortable after awhile."

Bucky looked down at his own arm and then back up as if the idea that she'd question it hadn't occurred to him.

"It's my arm," he said simply. Sutton rolled her lips through her teeth and gestured with her hand.

"I wondered. I mean, is it… injured? Or...something?"

Bucky's lips twitched as if that humored him.

"I mean the chainmail is my arm. I lost the real one while fighting the Frost Giants, so Tony enchanted this specially for me to replace it."

Sutton didn't move. She stared up at Bucky with wide, blank eyes and pressed her lips together as she processed his story. She cut her eyes over to Steve, but he only nodded marginally as if to confirm it all. Sutton steepled her fingers and leaned forward.

"Are you trying to tell me that if you took that sleeve off there'd be nothing underneath it?"

"Precisely."

Clapping once, Sutton pushed herself back away from the table and sighed. She rubbed her face tiredly and felt her hopes of them ever leaving their delusion sink even more.

"You don't believe him," Steve said. Sutton thought she'd been doing a pretty decent of playing along so far. But this- this was a bit too much. The man believed he'd lost his arm! When it was clearly there, right in front of him. He was using it, picking up a coffee mug and shifting his plate and rubbing his face.

Sutton might have been willing to believe he was hiding a prosthetic under the sleeve if his arm didn't move so fluidly. If the fingers weren't all filled out and the muscles obvious. But no prosthetic moved as naturally as he moved his arm.

"No," she finally said. "Sorry, but, I mean. Your arm is right there. I mean...have you tried looking at it?"

Steve, surprisingly, didn't look upset like he usually had when she admitted she believed none of their stories. Instead his eyes were lit up and he was leaning in closer to her.

"What if he took the chainmail off and there was nothing underneath?"

Sutton let out a short laugh.

"Then I'd probably lose it."

"You'd believe in magic and Andolasia and everything we've been telling you?"

She rolled her eyes a bit and let out another sad sigh. Just because she didn't believe them, didn't mean she wanted to hurt them.

"Probably," she said. "But, look-"

Instead, Steve turned his attention to Bucky, and without either of them saying a word Bucky let out a huff and said,

"Fine."

"What are you-"

Bucky stood from the table and pulled off his sweater in one quick move. Sutton's face skewed in confusion and she was about to attempt reasking what he thought he was doing, but she stopped. She'd never seen him without a shirt on. If anything both men were incredibly modest, with Bucky even sleeping in a t-shirt every night.

When he removed his sweater Sutton was finally able to see that the chainmail sleeve cupped around the shoulder and was held in place by a couple leather straps that wrapped around his chest.

He reached up and undid each buckle in turn then grabbed the chainmail around his shoulder and pulled it away. The entire sleeve went limp. Sutton jerked back in her chair with a cry.

Where the fingers had been filled out and the forearm and bicep defined, it now looked like an ordinary costume sleeve, clinking and rattling as Bucky dropped it on the table.

There was no left arm underneath. Just a portion of the shoulder that came to a stub and some mottled, darkened skin that certainly looked like it could be the aftereffect of frostbite.

"Do you believe us now? Sutton?"

She blinked. Opened and closed her mouth a few times, but couldn't find the proper words. Instead she shook her head, unable to tear her gaze away from the empty sleeve and Bucky's clearly not there arm.

"No," she finally said. "No, no, no, no. No- _how?_ That's not- That's not possible."

"Not for you or I," said Bucky. "But Tony is a skilled sorcerer."

Hearing the distress in Sutton's voice, Sprinkles left her food bowl and hurried over. She froze momentarily, her ears flicking back as she eyed Bucky and his changed silhouette, but after observing him a moment and scenting the air, she ignored him again and squeezed between Steve and Sutton's chairs.

"Holy  _heck_."

Sutton's mind was fritzing.

There was no arm.  _There was no arm._ He didn't have a  _left arm_. And there wasn't even a prosthetic under the sleeve to explain it away.

Bucky picked the sleeve back up and held the opening up to his shoulder. It instantly filled back out and he held it in place with his actual arm while he managed to secure the straps with the other. It was obvious he was well practiced with it.

"Sutton?" Steve prodded again. "Are you alright?"

 _Magic._ There really wasn't another reasonable explanation.  _Just magic._

Sprinkles whined and put her paw on Sutton's lap, and Sutton automatically lowered her hand to scratch behind her ear. The adrenaline ebbed and her heart stopped racing quite so fast. Sprinkles sat on her haunches and brought up the other paw so that she was resting her head and upper body on Sutton's legs. With the extra pressure and the warmth from Sprinkles' body, Sutton felt like she could finally breathe again.

"Magic," she said. She laughed, a high, still strained, disbelieving sound, but she was smiling in awe as well. "Holy cow, you guys actually have magic."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is silly, but I do what I want.

"I can't- No way!"

Sutton stood from the table and paced anxiously around her small kitchen. Both Steve and Bucky continued to watch her warily.

"This is- This is incredible! You're not crazy after all. You-" Her eyes darted to Steve and widened. "You're a king! Of a kingdom!"

"Prince," Steve insisted. A smile was beginning to grow on his face. Sutton looked to Bucky.

"And you're a knight!"

Sprinkles barked in excitement and hopped around, feeding off of Sutton's new energy. Bucky nodded with a grin and Sutton ran her hands through her hair.

"Holy cow. You're both from another world. A different dimension."

"I believe we may have pointed that out earlier," said Steve.

Sutton shot him a flabbergasted look and gestured helplessly.

"Well how was I supposed to believe you? People say all sorts of crazy, impossible things." Steve turned to Bucky.

"Perhaps we should have started with your arm."

Her mind was still reeling and buzzing. It was difficult to suddenly process that they'd been being open and honest the entire time she'd housed them. She was entertaining a king-  _prince_ \- and a knight. In her crappy apartment. Feeding them frozen lasagna. Maybe she was half mad herself. But she couldn't exactly deny or explain what she'd been shown.

Chainmail didn't just inflate and move on its own. There was plainly no mechanics to it.

Sprinkles nipped at Sutton's hands as she continued to get hyped up and Sutton bopped either side of her face as she attempted to catch Sutton's hands in a playful bite.

"You honestly believe us now? You're not just playing along?" There was an unspoken  _again_ at the end of that sentence. Sutton shook her head.

"How could I not believe you? You have  _real_  magic! Does it have limitations? How did he enchant the arm in the first place? Does it only do that for you, Bucky? Oh, you mentioned dragons, didn't you? Are there nice ones? What about gryphons? Wait! You said there was an evil sorcerer trying to take over your land! We've got to get you home!"  
Steve laughed and waved a hand.

"Whoa, how about we slow down a second. There's a lot there to cover."

Sutton swallowed back the rest of her questions and reddened. She pushed down on Sprinkles' nose to get her to stop snapping at her and moved back towards the table to sit again.

"Sorry," she said. "It's just…  _real magic_. Fairy tales. I never thought…."

Steve only smiled wider.

"What would you like to know first?"

They talked late into the night. Later than Sutton intended with work the next day. But it was easy to lose track of time when discussing a real, actual fairy tale world. All their behaviors and naivety made sense now. The fact that they could corroborate on stories. For all she'd been through or thought, Sutton hadn't been lying when she'd said she'd be the first to believe in magic given proof. Even as she stumbled off to bed, already mildly regretting staying up, she felt like a spark of life had been relit inside her.

Sprinkles had already gone to bed on her own by the time Sutton crawled up onto the mattress next to her. Flopping down on her sheets, Sutton let out a sigh and pat Sprinkles on her side. Sprinkles groaned in response.

"They're not crazy," Sutton mumbled, her speech slurring. "How am I supposed to kick them out now?"

**[]**

She felt like leftovers warmed up at work the next day. And she managed to do even less work than the first day they'd arrived. Her computer screen was blurry and conversations around her were muffled and distant. Her own thoughts were preoccupied and elsewhere.

_Kings and knights and castles and magic._

Steve and Bucky weren't insane, delusional larpers. They were honest and, so far, good people. She hadn't interacted with people like that for an extended period in awhile.

" _Oof_ ," Alexandra said as she passed. She leaned against Sutton's cubicle wall and grimaced. "Late night last night?" Sutton blinked slowly and let out a quiet groan.

"Do I look that bad?" Alexandra winced.

"Well, your hair is half falling out of your bun and you're wearing two different colored socks."

"I'm wearing socks?"

Sutton glanced down. At some point that morning she'd put on gray and white socks then slipped into a pair of heels.

"Oh my gosh. Ok, yes. I didn't get much sleep."

She bent over in her chair and slipped her feet out of the socks, balling them up and shoving them in her purse as Alexandra snickered.

"More neighbor problems?"

"Um, not so much this time." Sutton fidgeted and brushed some hair behind her ear. "More like I got to talking with some… friends and lost track of time."

Alexandra grinned wider as her eyes sparkled.

"Oh, so worth the exhaustion then. Well, good for you. I don't think I've heard you talk about your friends much." Sutton smiled thinly.

"These ones are a bit new."

Alexandra let out a little sigh, one side of her lips ticking up as she straightened.

"Well, remember what I said about baked goods. It's my go-to for winning people over." Sutton laughed.

"I'm starting to think you just want me to bring something in."

Alexandra gasped, aghast, and put her hand to her chest.

"What? I'd  _never_." She winked as she began to saunter away and gestured widely. "But, I mean, if you  _happen_  to have some extra…."

**[]**

Sutton guessed that she probably was almost hit by a taxi at least twice on her way home. Her mind was still lagging and she forgot to look both ways before jaywalking across the crosswalk a couple times. She just wasn't going to mention that part of her day to anyone at home. An excited thrill ran through her at that thought.

There were people waiting for her at home.

She knew that she shouldn't let herself get as eager about it as she was, after all they for sure had to find a way back to their world, but she still let herself indulge in the feeling. For just a moment she pretended that this was her normal life. It might've been foolish, but she'd been through worse. Afterwards, when it was all over, she'd force herself to pick up the pieces and acknowledge how far she'd let herself go. But that was later.

Before going back to her apartment, she stopped by the market and counted out the bills in her wallet as she picked out some fresh food options.

_A prince and a knight!_

They were probably used to eating better than she typically did. And maybe they hadn't complained, but that didn't curb the rush of embarrassment at how scant and pre-prepared her groceries had been that first night.

She scooped up some raw vegetables and fruits and deliberated over a chunk of locally made cheese before deciding that was a bit too out of her league, even with royalty in her home. With her purchases in hand, she trotted back down to her crumbling apartment building.

Sutton unlocked her door and kicked it open, brandishing her prized grocery bags and grinning.

"Lucy! I'm home!"

There was a jingle of dog tags and Sutton made sure to hold the bags out of reach as Sprinkles trotted over. She sniffed at Sutton as her nub of a tail waggled back and forth before she jabbed her cold nose under Sutton's shirt.

"Hey!"  
Sutton let out a surprised laugh and dropped her hands to protect her stomach. Sprinkles huffed and then moved her nose to sniff at the bags. Sutton shook her head in a shocked insult.

"Oh, you sneak!"

Bucky was standing in the middle of the living room and he seemed to take up most of the space. He had his sword in hand and looked like he'd been caught practicing some defensive moves. His face was slightly red and she could tell he was breathing heavier than normal. They made eye contact and he dropped the sword down.

"I apologize," he said quickly. "I shouldn't have been wielding this in your home, I just-"

Sutton laughed and shrugged, which seemed to throw Bucky off.

"I don't care. You think you can wreck anything in here? You might be doing them a favor if you scrape off some of this terrible wallpaper. And if you wanted to kill me, you could've done that a couple days ago. I trust you aren't going to lob off anyone's head."

Bucky adjusted his grip on the hilt of the sword and eyed her curiously. Sutton could hear the shower running as she moved to the kitchen to put the groceries away. Steve and Bucky must have had an impromptu sparring session in her living room while she was gone. While she didn't blame them for being restless, she did hope they hadn't been too loud. The walls were only so thick.

"Thank you, my lady, er, I mean, Sutton."

However, Bucky put the sword back in its scabbard on her coat rack and stretched his arms.

"Oh," she crooned from the fridge. "Do I get a fairy tale name now too? I only just found out last night and I already get a title?"

He sat at the dining table; she noted the way he was breathing and absentmindedly rubbing around his shoulder where it met the chainmail. She poured him a glass of water and sat it in front of him as he blinked.

"You only started believing us last night and you already give me permission to use a weapon in your home."

"Touché."

He smiled, smugly, and Sutton let out an irritated snort as she leaned against the counter. Sprinkles, bored of the conversation, walked back down the hall and Sutton heard as her body dropped to the ground with a grunt. Probably waiting outside the bathroom door.

"You know, you're pretty quick for a knight," Sutton complained.

"Do you believe knights dull?"  
She coughed into her fist and shrugged.

"Not exactly. But they're usually not so snarky." Bucky shook his head as he took another drink from his glass.

"What are we like, then," he asked. "Enlighten me."

Sutton shrugged again and waved her hands, checking to make sure that the shower was still in use before answering.

"Well, you know." She shifted her stance, putting her right foot forward and holding up her hand as if she had her own sword.

" _Good morn' fair maiden! 'Tis I! Sir Barnes. Here to save you from the fiery maw of the mighty dragon! Fear not, for I have slain many with not but mere scratches to my person! Ha! For Andolasia!"_

Bucky was silent and frozen, his hand still curled around his glass, and for all the world looking as though he were trying to keep something choked back. The first laugh escaped his lips despite his efforts, and then he was practically falling from his chair and wheezing as he held his stomach. Sutton felt her face warm though she laughed along with him. A tingle of pride ran through her that she couldn't help. Not many people laughed so hard at her jokes.

"Is that truly," Bucky said between gasps, "is that truly what your world believes?" He pulled himself back up into a sitting position as he wiped at his eyes. "No wonder," he rasped. "No wonder you did not believe us."

"But you  _do_  talk like that," Sutton insisted between laughs of her own. "You do!"

"I'm afraid I've missed something."

Steve stood just out of the room, materializing from the shower, it seemed, with a damp shirt and wrinkled pants. He gave them both curious, slightly put out looks.

"Not really," said Sutton. Bucky pointed at Steve and grinned up at her.

"Do him," he said. "What about princes? How are they portrayed?"  
Steve cocked an eyebrow as Sprinkles appeared behind him. Sutton chewed on her bottom lip a moment before she sniffed and relented.

"Gentlemanly, of course," she prefaced. She straightened her spine, holding one arm bent in front of her while the other she bent behind her back. Bowing low, she then moved to grab Sprinkles by the front paws; lifting her up onto her hind legs she gave her dog a dazzling smile.

" _My lady. You truly are the most beautiful maiden mine eyes have ever beheld! If I might dance with you alone all night, it would still not be enough."_ She let go of Sprinkles and turned, throwing her arm up on her fridge and resting her forehead on it dramatically. " _But alas! My duty and my station forbade me from wooing you. Oh agony beyond power of speech! Still, speak thus. Merely ask me, and my kingdom is yours! I shall revoke my birthright for but a day of your love!"_

She turned with another dramatic flair and slid down the fridge until she was sitting on the floor. Sutton opened her eyes in time to see Sprinkles descending on her to cover her in slobbery kisses, and note Steve's red face.

Bucky broke out into another fit of dying laughter.

Sutton pushed away Sprinkles and got to her feet while grinning widely up at Steve whose face twisted in an amused scowl.

"Was that supposed to be me?"  
"It's a prince stereotype, but if you see some similarities that's on you."

Giving him a smarmy wink, Sutton attempted to spin off in a dramatic departure, but Steve caught her hand as she passed and spun her back around. Sutton let out a little gasp of surprise, but tilted her head at Steve's sudden challenging look.

"By your definition, we sure do have a lot of time for romancing." Sutton smirked.

"C'mon. It's the hallmark of a prince. Besides riding into battle or breaking curses." She paused. "Except I think that last one can still count as romancing."

"There's more to it than that," he insisted. Sutton found humor in the fact that he was so insistent on defending his position.  _Typical prince_. "A prince has to be a diplomat," he continued. "A politician and ambassador-"

"I think those overlap-"

"A good prince listens to the people and works to implement change based on what's needed."

"They  _are_ supposed to be a leader."

Steve's eyes flashed as he grinned down at her. His face seemed closer than it had when he first started speaking.

"And a  _great_  prince does not have to give up his station for the one he loves. He can persuade the king's ear to listen and speak sense into his council."

Sutton swallowed nervously, her eyes wide as she noticed how incredibly close he'd drawn her without her realizing it. Their faces were a hand-length apart and she could see the variations of blue in his irises. See each dirty blond lash that framed his eye. Her face was suddenly too hot and she pulled back, Steve letting her go without a fight.

"How educating," she managed to squeak out. Sutton cleared her throat and shook out her shoulders. "Maybe I shouldn't take all my cues from Disney and the Hallmark Channel."

Her knees suddenly buckled as they were hit from behind and she almost went sprawling over Steve in her attempt to catch herself before she bit it on the linoleum floor. Steve caught her around her forearms and kept her steady as she shot a nasty glare behind her.

" _Sprinkles!"_

Sprinkles dropped into a sit and scratched at her ear with a back leg, the little brown spots above her eyes ticking as if she were casually looking away.

"Anyway," drawled Bucky. Sutton had almost forgotten he was there. She pushed away from Steve again with a nod of thanks and shifted towards the short hall.

" _Er,_  I'm just going to change out of my work clothes. Then, uh, I can take Sprinkles out."

She could feel eyes on her as she walked away, and she prayed she didn't have that weird zombie shuffle people did when they knew they were being watched and felt self conscious about it.

" _Apparently princes have_ _some_   _time for romancing,"_ she heard Bucky taunt from the kitchen.

" _Shut up, Buck."_

**[]**

Sutton felt absolutely indulgent chopping up the fresh vegetables for stir fry while being aided by Steve in the kitchen. Bucky shuffled around them, actually setting the table and Sprinkles gnawed on a bone in the living room. Every once in awhile she'd look up to see if any food had been dropped on the floor before settling back down.

It was comfortable and comforting. Sutton enjoyed the quiet conversation and the fact that she had people to join her in completing even simple tasks.

After diner she lingered in the kitchen a moment, digging through her fridge and pantry. She didn't have any chocolate chips on hand, or any candy for that matter. She drummed her fingers along her thigh as she thought.

"Steve doesn't like too sweet anyway," she mumbled to herself.  _Butter,_ she thought. There was actually butter in her fridge. Sutton grinned and rolled up her sleeves before tying her hair up in a knot on the top of her head.

"Hey," she called out to the living room, "please tell me you guys at least have shortbread."

Both men were struggling to figure out how to set up a game of Monopoly without her guidance. They looked up at the same time with unimpressed expressions.

"We may be from another world, but we don't live under a rock."

Sutton twisted her lips in a smirk and saw her opening to sass him back.

"What's your castle made out of then? Straw?"

Bucky opened his mouth, closed it, and then tilted his head to the side.

"Touché." Steve snickered.

"We have shortbread," he confirmed. "Generally with tea, though."

Tea. She had some tea. Probably green or chamomile, but she'd make it work.

"Alright," she said. "Well we can have some tea and cookies with our nice, quiet game."

**[]**

She'd thought that since they'd never played before, they wouldn't know. How could they? How could they ever anticipate the family destroying, friendship crushing experience that was Monopoly? They couldn't have. Sutton had expected to wipe them off the board and win for once in her life.

She should have known better.

There was a prince and a knight playing against her and they apparently picked up the idea of the game quickly. Steve had a knack for rapidly gaining property and then turning around and slamming down houses for rent. Bucky bought up the transportation squares faster than Sutton could get around the board, it seemed. The two almost broke into an actual wrestling match over Boardwalk and she was left pouting as banker with the Baltic and Vermont Avenue cards meekly peeking through the small pile of cash she had left.

Eventually she got fed up with the game that she might as well have not been part of anymore and tossed a piece of shortbread onto the board with a click of her tongue. Steve and Bucky halted their argument to give her a weird look and Sutton just sniffed haughtily as Sprinkles came barreling between all of them and skid across the board in her quest for the morsel.

Cards went flying, pieces scattered, and half the board was folded in on itself as Sprinkles licked up the crumbs and both men let out cries of insult.

"Oh no," Sutton said in a monotone. "Looks like the game is over."

"You cheated," accused Bucky. Steve eyed her crossed arms and dull expression, his own face blooming in a sort of amused understanding.

"You're a sore loser," he said. Sutton arched her brow and tilted her head down again.

"Are you kidding? This is probably one of the nicest ways this game has ever ended. I just saved you from at least two more hours of agony and a severed friendship."

She stood with a stretch and twisted her hair up on her head.

"I'm going to shower before bed. Do not try to start this game again, ok? I don't want to come back out and find a body in my living room."

They gave her uneasy agreements, which she didn't trust, so she shoved most of the game back in its box and flipped on the TV to try and distract them. As an additional measure, she dug through Sprinkles' small basket of toys and tossed her the squeakest one she could find. It was hard to focus on taking a game seriously when there was a large dog avidly chewing an obnoxiously loud hedgehog at your feet.

Seeing them resign themselves to the couch, Sutton smirked and nodded her head in approval.

"Good," she said.

Getting her change of clothes and heading to the bathroom, she caught the tail end of their conversation.

" _It wouldn't have ruined our friendship,"_ said Steve. Bucky grunted in reply.

" _Hmm."_

**[]**

Sutton found herself even humming in the shower. It was stupid and it was foolish, but she felt… content. She lathered up a loofa and her singing grew as she was reassured no one would hear her over the volume of the television.

" _Mm.. No chance, no way, I won't say it… no, no. It's too cliché, I won't say I'm in… Love..."_

She crooned a few more lines, grinning under the hot water, before she froze. Her eyes widened and her fingers curled into the course, sudsy skin of the sponge.

_Oh no._

No, no that was nothing. It was a Disney song. She always sang Disney songs.

But why that one? She hadn't watched Hercules in forever.

No. She knew why.

_Crap._

Living alone was just making her attach herself too quickly. There was nothing substantial to any of this. She'd only known Steve,  _known either of them_ , for a few days now. That was hardly long enough to know someone. Let alone-let alone  _like_ them with any depth.

That was it. Maybe she couldn't kick them out, but she couldn't keep playing this game. She couldn't handle feeling good again only to have them leave. And they had to leave.

Sutton took her time finishing her shower. Used the time to try and build up some defenses again. The magic had thrown her off, caught her by surprise. She'd gotten swept up in a story instead of remembering this was real life.

When she finally stepped out of the bath she was pink all over and felt like she'd managed to shove all the unneeded emotions into a little ball in her chest.

Sprinkles. She still had Sprinkles. And her dog wasn't going anywhere.

Steam billowed out into the hall when she left the bathroom. Steve and Bucky were still on the couch, avidly watching some terrible sitcom, but Steve was fidgeting and a little flushed. Sutton pursed her lips but didn't comment. Asking would be caring, and she wasn't going to ask about issues that weren't her business.

"Sprinkles," she called, her voice stiff. Both men looked at her, Bucky smirking and Steve openly smiling. She gave them a thin smile in return and their expressions flickered.

"I'm just heading to bed," she told them. "Night."

Sprinkles stretched languidly and shook before trotting over. When she got to Sutton's side she looked up and shifted, letting out a small whine as she bumped against Sutton's legs. Sutton pat her on the head and gave one last parting glance before retreating to her room.

Sprinkles climbed up onto the bed after her and settled on top of Sutton instead of beside her. Sutton let out an  _oof_  as her dog situated herself, shoving a leg into her gut and draping her front paws over her shoulders as she shoved her muzzle down behind Sutton's ear. For a moment, Sutton just laid there. Then she brought up a hand and rubbed circles around Sprinkles' neck and floppy ear.

"I can't do it again," she whispered. "You weren't here before, so you don't know. But-" She paused, then reached up and pulled Sprinkles' head close to press a kiss to her forehead.

"I only need you anyway. You're such a good girl, you know that?"

Sutton rubbed her hand along Sprinkles' smooth, glossy fur and let the warmth her heater of a dog provided ease her into sleep

"Who needs people when there are dogs, right?"


	7. Chapter 7

Natasha and Clint crouched in a dark corner of the room and eyed the glowing blue cube set upon a podium in the center of the space. They’d flipped their cloaks over to the underside, which was lined in black, so that they melted into the walls and remained relatively unseen. Clint frowned and shook his head. 

“It’s too easy,” he whispered. “No guards, no case. I don’t like it.” Nat sent him a droll look. 

“What do you call the giant ice spikes we had to work our way around?”

“Decorations.”

She rolled her eyes and eyed their prize once more. Clint may’ve had a point. It seemed irresponsible and lax to just leave one of the most powerful artifacts in their world out in open as it was. The fact that it wasn’t fashioned to Loki’s side or imbedded into his throne was shocking enough. After confirming that there were no physical traps that she could see, Nat reached into a pouch at her side and pulled out a chunk of wood. It was a piece of a White Oak branch, and while it wasn’t magical itself, it was an excellent conductor for magical energy. 

It stayed inanimate in her hand as she edged it forward, but the moment she even breached the shadows of the room it began to hum. 

Nat cursed quietly and backed away. 

 

“There’s some sort of magic field around it,” she said. “I’m not sure if he’s got a guard

set, or if it’s from the cube itself.”

Clint eyed the cube and the room with a critical eye. Under the lax, dumb persona he enjoyed maintaining, he was actually quite sharp. Nat wouldn’t work with him otherwise. 

“A guard’s magic would be consistent through the entire room,” he said. “If it’s residual magic from the cube, it’s going to become more concentrated the closer you get.” 

“And if I test this theory out and trip the guard?” 

Clint shrugged and adjusted his compact bow. 

“Then we grab it and run. Loki’s been distracted with trying to move forces into Andolasia. He’s probably looking for big power moves. Magic against magic. You know him and Tony hate each other. May not be expecting a couple magicless humans.” 

 

Nat tilted her head to the side, processing all Clint said. She shifted on the balls of her feet and gripped the base of the branch piece. 

“Well. Wish me luck.”

 

[]

 

It was worse because it was the weekend. Sutton couldn’t escape to work and avoid interacting for eight hours and then feign exhaustion when she got back home. 

Of course they were both up already and dressed in the morning. Like they were ready to go out. Sutton internally growled. She  _ had  _ taken them out the previous weekend, feeling guilty that they were constantly cooped up. 

They greeted her warmly to which Sutton responded with no eye contact and a closed lip smile. She set to work on the coffee and used that as an excuse to not speak with them. 

Distance. She needed distance. 

 

Perhaps going out was a good idea. 

 

She already knew they felt her cold shoulder. There was an uneasy static in the air as they shifted in the living room, probably confused by her sudden change in behavior. But that couldn’t be helped. And anyway, Sutton knew how it’d go. If you ignored someone long enough they moved from confused to hurt and then to angry at you fairly quickly. Angry she could deal with. Anger created distance and didn’t make her feel as bad. 

“Did you… sleep alright,” Steve hedged. He sounded concerned. Sutton turned her head but didn’t quite look at him. 

“Yep. Great.” 

 

More silence. 

 

“Oh. Good.”

 

Breakfast was an awkward affair. It made Sutton lose her appetite and and squirm internally, but she pressed on. 

For everyone’s good, she told herself. Steve and Bucky’s too. They’d be happier to go home. She shook her head as she picked at her cereal. Why would she assume they’d even miss her at all? 

 

After eating they did go out. Weekends were Sprinkles’ free time and Sutton tried to spend those days walking and in the dog park to ease her guilt over the tiny apartment. Steve and Bucky followed after her, attempting to strike up conversations that she’d immediately shoot down or put an end to. It was worse than she’d anticipated. 

It wasn’t the first time she’d employed the silent treatment and it’d always made her feel bad to some degree, but not quite like this. It had never quite reached the level of feeling like a betrayal. 

 

“Did you have a plan for today,” Steve asked. He was trying to keep his tone light, but Sutton could hear the strain underneath it. 

“Nope. Just walking.”

“Oh.”

A beat passed. 

“Any other interesting dietary suggestions?” 

Sutton shrugged at Bucky’s question. 

“Not really.”

 

She kept her pace quick to stay ahead of them so that she wouldn’t have to see their faces. It might crack her resolve if she had to watch their reactions, if the tones of their voices were anything to go by. 

Sprinkles tugged on her leash obstinately as Sutton continued to ignore them. She gave a short, grunting growl as she caught her own leash between her teeth and yanked down. Sutton stumbled, but caught herself better than she had the last time Sprinkles had tried that trick.

“ _ No. _ We’re not doing that again.” 

With that, Sprinkles changed tactics and let out a pathetic whine. Sutton felt the tug on her heartstrings. 

“Come on.” She whined quietly herself. “This already isn’t fair.”

Sprinkles pegged her with a look that was too introspective for a dog, that or Sutton was seriously projecting, but whichever it didn’t make her feel less horrible. 

Maybe she’d still get them coffee. She didn’t have to break her silent streak for that, but coffee would help ease the sting. That or the bitterness would emphasize her awful behavior. 

 

Sunday was no better. No, that was an understatement. It was a hundred times worse. Because Steve and Bucky had already gone through a day of her shrugging them off and they were already onto her. They watched her with guarded eyes and attempted to speak with her less. Steve looked like she’d taken Bucky’s sword and ran it through his chest.

But she wasn’t going to crack and give up only a day and a half into attempting to emotionally distance herself from them. No matter how little it seemed to be working for her. 

She just needed more time. 

 

If anyone was showing a blatantly open irritation at the change in dynamics, it was Sprinkles. Sprinkles who’d taken to pacing and snapping her jaws in irritation when Sutton ignored questions. Who didn’t seem quite as excited for the scraps of treats under her kibble at dinner. 

Sutton had known letting strangers into her home would come back to bite her. 

 

By Monday work sounded like a retreat, and Sutton escaped to her office with none of the dread lifted except for the fact that she didn’t have to actively act like the world’s biggest jerk. There was work to do, mindless, numbing, work, and she put more effort into it than was normal or necessary in order to stop thinking for a bit. 

Tuesday and she still felt like crap. Probably didn’t look great either, given the way she’d slapped herself together before shooting out the front door. Generally most of her coworkers were absorbed in their own work and left her alone. It was appreciated. Still, she tried to appear chipper and normal even if her hair was a bit frizzy and sloppily done. Even if it was all a lie. 

 

[]

 

“Oh no, what happened?” 

 

At Alexandra’s upset cry, Sutton looked up from the copying machine and furrowed her brow. Her coworker appeared more concerned than she had any need to be. Especially since Sutton knew she wasn’t sporting any bruises or openly sobbing in public. 

“What are you talking about?”   
Alexandra’s hair almost seemed to flutter on its own as she gestured a vague outline around Sutton. 

“Your energy is all off. Negative. Did something happen?” 

Sutton let out an awkward laugh as she shuffled in place. 

“Energy?” 

“Oh,” said Alexandra. “I mean, aura. Or, um, vibe. You’re vibe seems...sad.”

 

Collecting her paperwork, Sutton shot Alexandra another odd glance as she headed

back to her cubicle. She didn’t think she’d been acting too strangely. If anything, she was trying to do everything to mask a few feelings, and convince herself they weren’t there in the first place. 

“No, I’m fine,” she said. She flashed Alexandra a smile. “Maybe just a little tired.” 

“Are you sure,” Alexandra prodded. “I mean, no offense, but you’ve seemed… reserved the last couple days. I thought you were really happy after… speaking with your new friends.”

Sutton winced. 

“They’re just visiting,” she said. “But they have to go home soon. Nice while it lasted though.” She sighed. “I’m fine. Really. Thanks for asking.” 

Alexandra wrung her hands a bit as Sutton gave her a wave and walked away. She hardly looked convinced, but Sutton still wasn’t sure how she’d noticed, or why she cared so much, in the first place.  

Sutton put more effort into appearing carefree and smiling the rest of the workday, but everytime she ran into Alexandra the woman looked fretful and upset. She shook her head as she packed up her things and turned her computer off for the night. 

Alexandra was obviously an overly sensitive person. More-so than she’d have thought. Sutton would just have to be more careful about her mood swings in front of her. 

 

[]

 

The apartment was quiet when she got back home. There had been faint murmuring before she’d put her key in the lock, but the minute the scraping, metallic noise sounded she could hear it abruptly stop. It made the hair on her neck prickle and her stomach churn. But she deserved it, she supposed. She’d started this herself.

Steve and Bucky looked as though they’d been conversing something important on the

couch when she opened the door. Sutton nodded silently in their direction as a greeting. At the other end of the couch Sprinkles was curled into a ball. She only huffed as Sutton stepped through the door and didn’t bother getting up. A bit of her heart cracked further at that, and Sutton turned away quickly to go change in her room. 

 

Even her dog. Even her  _ dog _ hated her. Maybe she  _ should _ let Steve take her when he left, if he even could. Sprinkles would be happier, she liked him better. And she’d probably have more room to run and play. 

Sutton shouldn’t have adopted her anyway, no matter how lonely she’d been. She didn’t have a yard or a job that let her spend more time at home. 

Maybe she just deserved to be alone. Fate kept pushing that on her, after all. 

 

After changing, she grabbed a random book from her nightstand and slipped back out to her dining room table to pretend to read. 

 

[]

 

“Would you mind if I took Sprinkles for a walk?” 

Sutton stopped mindlessly scanning the pages of her book and peeked up at Bucky from over the spine. She blinked twice, her gaze shooting from Bucky to Sprinkles and back again. 

“You,” she asked. Bucky gave her a chagrined smile and rubbed at the back of his head. 

“As much as I enjoy everyone’s company, I did still live on my own in Andolasia. Some space would be...appreciated.” 

Her lips thinned as she considered the request. Realistically, it shouldn’t have felt any different than leaving her dog with them all day. For all she knew they already took her on walks while she was at work. But still. Seeing him leave her apartment with Sprinkles felt like an uncomfortable vision. 

_ Think about Sprinkles. She’s already upset with you. _

 

Bucky was right. It’d been awhile since any of them had any real privacy. Having

Sprinkles with him would give him an excuse for mindless wandering and cut down the

amount of people who might get too close. Sutton put down her book. 

“Do you know how to put on her harness?” 

He smiled thankfully and nodded. 

“I’ve seen you do it. And it isn’t more complicated than saddling a horse.” 

 

Steve was still in the living room with a book of his own now and he watched Bucky leave with a particular look. They nodded to each other before Bucky closed the door and the quiet descended again. Sutton focused back on reading. She couldn’t remember what it was about for the life of her, but it made it seem like she was normal and occupied with something. 

And everyone knew it was rude to try and start a conversation with someone while they were reading a book. 

 

A minute or two passed and she heard Steve set his book down on her battered coffee table. He stood and made his way to her kitchen. 

“Would you mind if I made some coffee?”    
Sutton didn’t look up. She turned the page of her book whether she’d finished reading it or not. 

“You don’t have to ask.” 

 

Evidently they’d been paying enough attention to what she did to pick up how to do a few things. Steve fixed the coffee pot and had it brewing with the ease of a lifetime user. Granted, she allowed, it wasn’t exactly rocket science. 

He filled two mugs. Sutton’s fingers curled more tightly around the cover of her book as he set down a mug in front of her with a quiet  _ clink. _ She glanced at it and noted he’d even included enough creamer to make it blonde. 

Yes. He paid too much attention. 

 

The sound of him pulling out the chair across from her was exceptionally loud in the small space. It made the fact that Sutton was purposefully ignoring him even more obvious. 

Clearing her throat, she lowered her book and picked up her mug by the handle. 

“Thank you,” she murmured. Steve nodded. His hands were clasped in front of him on the tabletop and he was staring at her with a wrinkled brow. His nose was slightly scrunched between the eyes and he was running his thumb over his knuckles in what she recognized as a self-soothing motion. 

Sutton shook the observation away and sipped at her drink. She still hadn’t made eye contact with him, which was made more difficult by the fact that he was blatantly staring at her dead on.

“Did you finish your book?” Her tone was a bit clipped, but neutral enough. Steve only frowned further. 

“Did I do something to offend you,” he asked. Sutton put her book down completely, grasping the mug with her other hand as well and drawing her knees up onto her chair. 

“No. I don’t know why you’d even think that.” 

“Bucky?”

Sutton scowled, briefly glancing at his face, as she took another drink. 

“ _ No _ . I’m fine. No one made me mad.” 

“Then what’s turned your mood so sour? Do you think we haven’t noticed? You’ve hardly even looked at us these last few days. Let alone spoken to us.” 

 

She took a deep breath and centered herself. She’d been dumb. Of course they wouldn’t let her get away with the  _ closed off _ route. She’d foolishly went that direction because it was usually easier for  _ her. _

Shaking her head, she turned her face up towards him and let an awkward smile crawl over her face. As if she’d accidentally let a misunderstanding slip and now had to correct it.

“Sorry,” she said, lightening her tone. “Yeah, you’re right. No, it’s, _ uh, _ not you. Just-just work stuff piling up I’ve been stressed about.” She forced herself to laugh but otherwise didn’t move. “Sorry to have made you think that, though.” 

Steve took a slow drink from his own mug and leveled his gaze at her, his expression still firm. 

“I don’t appreciate being lied to,” he said evenly. “And it isn’t going to help resolve this issue.”

 

Sutton stiffened. People generally hadn’t called her out so frankly when she’d done this before.

_ Resolve the issue.  _ He wanted to  _ resolve the issue. _ As if they were in a spat. As if they had some form of a relationship to salvage. 

There was nothing to resolve if they were strangers, pushed together by circumstance and her own accommodating nature. 

“There’s no issue to resolve,” she said lowly. “Neither of you have done anything wrong and I’m not upset with you. That’s the truth.” 

Steve’s face fell, the skin between his brows puckering again, and Sutton looked away. 

“I thought- I thought we were beginning to… get along.” 

Why did he have to sound so  _ sincere  _ and devastated like that? It wasn’t fair. And it wasn’t called for. It made her heart ache even as her head screamed ‘ _ a bit over a week! You don’t feel like this after knowing someone a little over a week. Pull yourself together!’ _

“We are getting along. I’m not sure what you-”

“You were freer before,” Steve interrupted. His speech sped up in a frustrated passion the more he spoke. “You laughed and joked and you were familiar with us. Now you’ll hardly look in either of our directions. You’ll barely even speak to me. Almost as if it pains you. Forgive me if I don’t understand the sudden change in your temperament when-” 

“You’re going back ok?” Sutton snapped and set her mug back on the table harshly. There was blood rushing up to her head and that ball of emotion stuck in her chest was pulsing dangerously as she pushed her chair away and stood. 

“That Tony guy will be magicing you back to your world soon and then you’ll finally be back where you belong, so what do you care? I’m just helping you until you can get home. That’s my purpose. So don’t blow this up into something bigger.” 

 

Steve’s expression flickered as he sat back, his hunched posture relaxing as he continued to stare at her with some measure of pity. Sutton bit the inside of her cheek and felt herself prickle. She hated it when people looked at her like that. 

“You don’t want to get hurt.” Steve’s voice was gentle, understanding, but it still grated on her. 

“Don’t,” she said. “You don’t know me. You don’t know what I’m afraid of. And I’ve been through worse than a couple of couch crashers finally leaving.” 

“What?”

She snatched up her mug as if he’d grab her if she were too slow and used it as a shield while she stared at him in befuddlement. 

“What? What do you mean  _ what?”  _

“What have you been through? You’ve been incredibly quiet about yourself since we’ve been here.” 

Sutton let out a sharp laugh and shook her head. 

“Oh no. I don’t think you’ve unlocked my backstory.” 

“Who else do you have to tell?” 

 

The room went silent. Sutton’s throat closed up as she endured the full blow of his words. Only a bit over a week and he had her pegged. She kept her eyes on her coffee as she tried to keep her breathing steady. Steve closed his eyes as he winced.

“Way to go,” she finally rasped. “You got me.” She let out a bitter laugh as she held her mug closer. “Poor little Sutton. All alone; haven’t you heard? The other kids say she must be cursed.” 

Steve’s face fell further, his eyes widening and Sutton couldn’t look directly at him. Her nose wrinkled as the side of her lip curled up and her knuckles hurt with how stiff her fingers were. 

“You’re right. I have no one.” She blinked rapidly and her cold smile was more of a grimace. 

“Grandpa went first, up cleaning gutters even though grandma and mom told him not to.” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.  

“The paramedics say he fell just right. Just right to kill him. I was twelve.” Her tongue pressed against the backs of her teeth as she kept herself contained. Tried to process her next words. Steve remained silent and still. 

“It was devastating for all of us. It was always just us four. But it was obviously harder for grandma. Two years later she just sort of,” she shrugged, “faded away. Apparently she missed him more than she loved us. And mom,” her voice choked, “it was all too much for her. I tried to be good. Tried to make things easy. But still.” She wiped at her eyes. “Half a year later she was working late one night, trying to make rent, and-and some drunk driver ran a red light. She didn’t even-even make it to the hospital.” 

The lump in her throat was too thick. She had to pause and she could hear Steve swallow as he shifted in his seat. Sutton turned her gaze back towards him and quickly wiped under her eye more aggressively. 

“Not many want to foster a moody teenager. Luckily I only had about three years left to hop around before I graduated and they turned me loose. So there you have it. My official sob story. Hope it lived up to all your expectations.” 

Sutton turned sharply and set her mug in the sink as she moved to leave the kitchen and flee down the hall to her room. That ball of energy erupted and send hot sparks through her.  _ Why had she told him all that? _ That hadn’t been her plan when she opened her mouth. 

“Sutton. Wait.” 

His hand caught her elbow again and she went rigid. She kept her eyes fixed down the hall as Steve attempted to shift in front of her and face her. 

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t- I didn’t mean to hurt you.” 

“You can’t.” Her voice was gravelly and she cleared her throat as Steve stared down at her in admonishment. He looked away briefly. 

“I lost both my parents as well,” he said. “It’s why I’m set to be crowned king so soon. I’ve actually- I’ve actually been putting off my coronation for awhile. But I understand the pain.” 

 

It was difficult to make eye contact, so she didn’t. It was a big enough struggle not to start crying in front of him, which she berated herself for. It’d happened years ago. And yet, every time she thought about it the wounds always felt fresh. 

“I’m sorry,” she said automatically. “It never stops hurting.”

“Pushing me-” He cleared his throat. “Pushing  _ people  _ away doesn’t make it stop. I at least learned that.” Sutton shrugged blithely and folded her arms over her chest. 

“Maybe, but at least you don’t have to pretend.” Finally she looked to him, her eyes glassy and angry. An undealt with sort of festering anger that had roots older than his stay with her. 

“People always expect you to be fine. One month, two, you can cry. But it’s not their hurt. Not their problem. They always expect you to be over it soon.  _ Get out, do things, stop grieving, it’s what they would have wanted. _ Then you barricade yourself in the guest room too much, accidentally break a glass, snap at their kid once, and it’s off to the next house. So you tell me which one is worse.” 

His face crumpled again and Sutton hissed through her teeth. 

“Don’t,” she said. “Don’t feel bad for me. Other people have had it worse than I have.” 

Steve  _ tsked _ and hesitantly reached for her elbow again. His fingers were hot on her skin. Sutton felt something in her shift, like mere human contact could make her come undone. 

“It isn’t pity. I just can’t imagine that there could be anyone who wouldn’t want you.” 

 

All of the air was sucked from her lungs and Sutton choked. One hand flew up to cover her mouth and she let out an unsteady breath as she fought back tears to no avail. They leaked out and ran down her face openly in a show of honesty she wasn’t quite comfortable with. 

How- how could he know just what to say? What did he really care- No. She couldn’t even convince herself of that. Bucky had left on purpose, she realized, so that Steve could talk to her alone. Without an audience. And he’d put in the effort to see why she was acting oddly in the first place. Hadn’t gotten mad and defensive like the rest. 

Even still, where did that leave her? 

 

Slowly, so that she could move away if she wanted, he pulled her closer. Sutton let herself be held in his embrace. Despite her earlier call for distance. Despite every logical voice in her head. Because- because when was the last time she’d been hugged by someone who might actually care about her? There was some needy part of her that was craving it.  _ Crying _ for it. Her chest felt like it was collapsing as she held onto him more tightly, her fingers gripping his soft, cotton shirt and the faint scent of laundry detergent creeping through her senses. 

“You never fully grieved,” Steve said. Sutton clenched her teeth a moment until she felt like she’d gained enough control to speak. 

“It’s been a long time.” 

“There’s no time limit on grief.”

 

Of all the things he’d said, she wasn’t sure how that was the phrase to break her down fully. But it was. Maybe she’d hate herself for it later, but she cried. A man who she’d considered a strange stranger a week ago, and grown to be fond of in a few days time, she openly clung to and cried on. 

What was happening to her? 

Steve lowered them both to the carpet right there in the hall and held her until she stopped sobbing. He ran his fingers through her hair as she settled her breathing and Sutton couldn’t find it in her to tell him to stop. It was comforting, warm, soothing in ways that other gestures hadn’t been. Nothing like the awkward squeeze of her shoulder from a somber policeman. 

She felt…. Valued.  _ Personally valued _ . 

 

Sutton wiped at her eyes and let out an awkward laugh as she separated herself from Steve. There were wet splotches on his shirt and she could feel the burn from her eyes, knew they were red and probably a bit swollen. 

So much for distancing herself. 

 

“Well, that- that was-” She didn’t know which to settle on. Embarrassing? Overdramatic? Releasing? How could she possibly make a joke out of this now after how much she’d broken down? 

Steve tilted her chin up and Sutton made eye contact even as her face heated. 

“You’re strong, Sutton,” he said. His own eyes were a bit red-rimmed and it surprised her. “And I’ll never admit this to Buck, but he was right. No one’s meant to be alone. You don’t have to be.” 

She laughed again, a spark of longing flashing through her even as she shook her head. 

“I guess I’d have to work on making friends again, then, right? I’d need the skill after- after you and Bucky…. You and Bucky go back.” 

The light in his eyes shifted, the blue in his iris’ deepening as his jaw clenched. His hand cupped her jaw and he lowered his head closer. Sutton could feel his breath fanning her face. 

“If you agreed, if you wanted, do you think I wouldn’t come back for you?”

There was an explosion of butterflies in her stomach that fluttered up her throat and Sutton had to swallow them back down.

She shouldn’t feel-  _ he  _ shouldn’t feel- after a week, but…. 

Was the  _ potential  _ for something, did that make any of it worth it? 

 

“Steve.”

Sutton wasn’t even sure what she wanted to say. He was so close, so warm, and there was an exciting electricity racing through her when he stared into her eyes like that. Steve let out a breath and licked his bottom lip; Sutton’s eyes followed the movement. He tilted his head down further and Sutton shifted upwards. 

 

And then the front door opened. 


	8. Chapter 8

Sutton jerked away from Steve as she heard the creak of the door and the scraping of claws on linoleum. She pushed herself further from him as she turned to see Bucky enter the apartment. Behind her, Steve let out an aggravated huff.

"Buck," he said, his voice tight. "You're back."

Sprinkles spotted them on the floor within two feet of each other and perked up, her one proper ear swiveling up straight. Sutton let out a little sigh and Sprinkles let her tongue loll out as she galloped over. Sutton opened her arms just as her dog barrelled into her chest to give her some long overdue affection.

"Really," continued Steve. "I had thought you would be a bit longer."

Bucky blinked at the both of them; he eyed the space between them, or the lack of it, and a crooked grin spread across his face.

"Apologies,  _majesty_. I did a turn about the square and Sprinkles was ready to return. I sincerely hope I didn't…interrupt something."

"No," Sutton butt in sharply as Sprinkles switched to slobbering on Steve. "Nothing. We were- we were just talking."

Bucky looked down at her as she quickly pushed herself to her feet, and she saw the sharp look in his eye hadn't dissipated.

"She speaks."

Sutton groaned and rubbed at her face.

"Yeah, look. I'm sorry. To both of you. I-I made a mistake. But, well, Steve made a couple fair points, and-  _and_ -" Bucky looked actually surprised and Sutton tried to shake off the mood. "And you two make yourselves  _impossible_ to ignore, so I hope you're proud of yourselves."

Her face was hot as she spoke and some of the words stung a little, but she managed to get the apology out. Maybe she'd had fair motivation for her actions, and maybe she'd felt bad about all of it, but that didn't excuse treating both of them flippantly.

Leave it to a handsome prince to force her to deal with her trauma.

"No hard feelings, my lad- Sutton," Bucky managed.

Steve stood, though he still seemed a bit miffed. Sutton went hot again thinking about why. He hadn't- they hadn't been about to-

She shook her head and ran her fingers through her hair.

Sprinkles jumped up onto Steve, her front paws pressing into his back as she nudged her nose against his spine. Steve let out another disappointed sigh and gently pushed her off.

"Not now," he said. " _Not appropriate now_."

Sutton scolded Sprinkles for jumping up, ignoring Steve's muttered comment, and moved away from the men to the kitchen to dig through the pantry. She pulled out a Milkbone and made her dog sit nicely and calmly for it, then tossed it at Sprinkles, who caught it expertly in her mouth.

"Anyway," she said quickly, "how about Thai? Do you all have Thai in Andolasia? I feel like Thai is a good idea."

[]

Blue light flickered through the airy room. It reflected off glass bottles and old tomes looking like the smooth, flowing reflections of water from a tank.

"You actually did it," Tony said. He stared at the blue cube before him in wonder and then back up at the hired assassins.

"Did you doubt our ability," Natasha asked, amused.

"I was cautiously hopeful of your success," he said. Clint rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, well, Loki is bound to notice it's missing sooner rather than later. I suggest you hurry up with your magic stuff."

Tony looked mildly insulted by Clint's phrasing, but focused back on the cube. He waved his hands over it and the light flickered like the flame on a candle wick, growing icy white at the edges.

"It's a delicate process," Tony said. "If I don't do this correctly, it might not be  _all_ of them that gets transported back. Or they could end up in the Goblin Cities. I don't know about you, but I'd rather not have to explain to the future king why there was such a mishap."

Natasha rolled her eyes and Clint huffed, looking less than sorry.

"We have orders to stay until this mission is completed," Natasha explained. "Clint gets restless with nothing to occupy him."

"Truthfully, I don't care," said Tony. "I guess, you better get comfortable."

[]

She made them watch  _The Princess Bride_ that night because it was something other than a cartoon and it was one of the best movies ever made. (In her humble opinion.) It also seemed like a movie that they'd connect with, what with monarchies, sword fights, and unique storytelling. Plus there'd be no way they'd ask her if it were a real event with the grandfather  _blatantly_ reading from a fairytale book.

They seemed to enjoy it and Sutton was glad to be passed the painful affair of constantly ignoring them. Talking with them made her apartment feel less empty. She'd forgotten what it felt like to have friends to connect and joke with.

The thought of them leaving, of giving that up, made her chest tight and her jaw tense.

Still, her steps were lighter and smile more easy when she went into work Monday. She caught up on a bit of work and managed to snag a donut from the break room before they all disappeared. Alexandra was late to work, so Sutton didn't see her in the morning. It was a bit odd, because she couldn't ever remember Alexandra being late before, but she supposed that everyone had their off days.

Although, thinking about it, Sutton didn't remember when she'd noticed Alexandra's schedule in the first place. Which department did she work in?

It was lunch when Sutton's coworker actually showed up. She surprised Sutton by appearing in her cubicle as Sutton attempted to finish off her leftover Thai.

" _Oof-hi!"_  Sutton mumbled around a mouthful of noodles. Alexandra seemed to study her a moment, wringing her hands, before her face lit up in a grin.

"You're in a better mood today."

She seemed especially pleased with that and Sutton cocked an eyebrow. Again, she didn't feel like she'd been  _that_  obvious about her sour mood. She swallowed the rest of her bite and set down her tupperware.

"Good afternoon to you too."

But Alexandra's gaze only trailed, oddly, around her a moment before she settled back in with eye contact.

"Is everything alright with your friends then?"

Sutton squinted.

"They haven't left yet, if that's what you mean. You're oddly curious. And where were you this morning?"

Alexandra waved her questions away as if they weren't important.

"Eh," she said, "just had some errands. Anyway, I should probably be getting to work, right? I'm glad you're feeling better!"

Sutton swore the woman was practically floating away as she left. She shook her head and let out an amused huff as she turned back to her lunch.

"Oh, and Sutton?"

Sutton tilted her head back and caught a glimpse of Alexandra's figure idling in the hall.

"Hm?"  
"It's good to stick close to your friends," she said. "Remember that, yeah?"

Once more, Sutton's face crinkled in mild confusion. Why was she surprised though. Alexandra had always been a bit of a unique individual. Hadn't she?

"Right," she said. "Sure."

Sutton stuffed another forkful of noodles in her mouth. Was anything really making sense in her life lately? Really, an odd coworker should hardly register on her radar.

[]

It was miraculously not raining on her trek home and it only further elevated her mood. As much as she loved rainy days, sometimes you just needed a few rays of sunlight to change things up a bit. She hummed a light tune under her breath and hopped across crosswalks, ignoring the crowds around her as she moved.

Thinking over how much her life had already changed in such a short time, it still didn't feel real. She  _anticipated_  seeing Steve and Bucky when she got home. Having people to talk with over coffee and being accompanied on walks through the city. She liked it. And what Steve had said… about coming back for her.

She gnawed her bottom lip as her mind drifted. Over castles and fancy dresses and dragons and magic. What would a world like that really look like?

Did the politics run the same as in a fantasy film of her world? How did a sorcerer in another realm even get a name like  _Tony?_

Sutton couldn't deny…. She really wanted to know. To see it for herself. Even just to have her curiosity sated. The only problem was it was impossible to do an analysis of  _risk_ and  _reward_  when she wasn't fully aware of what the risks would be.

She shook her head. As fantastical and adventurous as that sounded, that was a crazy leap. One she still had trouble wrapping her mind around. And anyway, this was her world. She had a life to keep up.

Didn't she?

[]

The elevator managed another trip without breaking down midfloor and Sutton popped out into the hall only to stop in her tracks. Gary was back out, pacing the floor.

She hesitated a moment before she sucked in a breath and squared her shoulders. Someday one of them would move out of this complex. If she ever got a raise and started collecting cardboard boxes now, maybe it could be her.

Her eyes turned flinty and her lips pressed together as she neared her neighbor. It seemed like he was out and about more recently. She curled her fingers around her key ring.

Gary was twitching, his fingers almost spasming at his sides, as he muttered to himself and wore a path in the carpet. Sutton shifted towards the wall, closer to the doors on her side, though it would be impossible to pass without him noticing. She wet her lips and shifted the keys between her fingers, once again, teeth up.

"Gary," she said, her voice stiff and overly formal. He snapped his head to look up and openly sneered at her. Sutton stopped moving forward. Gary's skin looked more sallow than she was used to seeing. His eyes were darker and hair more limp as it clung to his scalp. She wondered if he had more than just plants in his apartment.

"So cheery, so proud." He sounded like he was gargling oil. His tone slick, yet forceful at the back. Angry and sniveling all at once.

Sutton frowned and straightened further. She tried to make herself as tall as possible.

"I don't know what your deal is, but you need to get away from me. Now."

"Your friends still there," he prodded. "Your little boyfriends?  _You think they'll leave? You certainly won't_."

The hair rose on the back of her neck. She couldn't remember a time he'd ever been so confrontational. Sutton eyed her front door and looked back to Gary. He was still pacing and wringing his hands.

"They left already," she said. "Not that it's any of your business. So you can just calm down."

Gary snarled, for a moment it almost looked like his eyes flashed black.

"Liar!" He snapped. "I'm sick of this grovel. You all  _disgust_ me. And for what? A pathetic, sniveling mess? You?"

Sutton took a step backwards and tried to whistle, but Gary leaped at her. The hallway was narrow and left little room to move. She backpedaled towards the elevator, but tripped in her hurry and dropped her keys as she fell to the floor. Gary dropped down over her, his fingers around her throat, and Sutton screamed as she kicked and clawed at his hands.

Gary shifted. He- he looked  _different_. His eyes were completely black, terrifying and soulless,

and his skin nearly looked green. His ears had elongated slightly and his nose shrank to a small stub. She gasped as she gaped openly at his inhuman looking form.

He pressed his thumbs into her esophagus and cut her scream off, bearing his teeth at her as he leaned in closer.

" _By magic won_ , but they forgot. It's hard to win when left to  _rot_."

Sutton kicked and bucked again; Gary's hands were bleeding where she'd broken his skin, but he showed no signs of caring. There was a barking from down the hall and Sutton managed to loosen his strangle hold enough to scream one more time.

The barking grew frantic. Suddenly there was a crash, like a door slamming open.

Gary turned to look back and yelled himself. But he had no time to move.

Sprinkles slammed into his back, knocking him off of Sutton and sending him into the wall across from them. Sutton scrambled up and backed away with gasping breaths. Sprinkles snapped her jaw and snarled, then bit into Gary's arm and shook mercilessly.  
He yelled louder. A light, pucey looking blood ran down his sleeve.

"Sutton!"

She looked up as Steve dropped to a knee next to her, one arm going over her as a barrier between her and the attack only feet away. Bucky placed himself in front of Steve, facing Sprinkles and Gary, with his sword at his side.

Gary was attempting to hit Sprinkles to loosen her hold and pry at her jaw, but Bucky lifted the sword to Gary's throat and put a stop to the attack.

"Not another move," he said. Sutton had never heard him sound so serious. So  _dangerous_.

She continued to gasp and pant as she tried to catch her breath, and curled further under the protective covering that Steve provided.

"Come on," said Steve. "Come, let's get you inside."

Gary wailed.

"Call her off! Call off your mutt! M' arms about to come off!"

Sprinkles continued to growl, her eyes wide and foaming drool dripping from her mouth to mix with the blood. Sutton found her voice as she held onto Steve and they stood.

"E-easy, girl," she said. "G-good- good girl."

Bucky glanced back at them and nodded at Steve.

"You can tend to her," he said. "I'll take care of this."

Steve nodded in reply and then Sutton was suddenly swept off her feet and being carried back to her apartment.

" _Woah_." Her voice was hoarse and she swallowed, trying to ease the pain. "I dont' ne-"

"You were nearly just  _strangled_ ," said Steve. "I think you  _do_ need help."

She decided not to argue since they were already back in her apartment. Steve sat her down gently on her sofa and tilted her chin back to examine her neck. It was tender, and a tingling, burning, sensation was still ebbing up her throat, but she didn't think any major damage was done.

"You'll bruise," Steve confirmed. "But you'll live." He shot a glare out her front door with a clenched fist and took a settling breath.

"Are you ok?" He turned back to her and knelt down to be at eye level. "I'll make you some tea; just rest alright?"  
Sutton nodded as she kept her eyes on the front door. She rested her fingertips on her throat and swallowed.

"H-his blood," she managed. "His  _skin_. Wh-  _what?_ "

Cupboard doors opened and closed, the faucet ran and water hit the bottom of a metal pot.

"Why didn't you tell us you had goblins," Steve asked. Sutton snapped her head in his direction.

"Goblins?  _Goblins?_ We don't have  _goblins_."

They both turned their gazes as a short, sharp cry came from the hall along with reinvigorated growling. Sutton stiffened, her face going cold.

"He didn't- Bucky didn't-"

Steve tilted his head.

"I'm not sure."

There was a thud and then a rattle of dog tags and a murmuring, cajoling voice. The front door opened and Sprinkles darted through before it was more than cracked. Bucky followed, his sword lowered at his side. Sprinkles jumped up onto the couch and forced herself onto Sutton's lap, almost covering her completely as she laid over Sutton's legs. Sutton covered her mouth with a hand as she noticed a thick, sickly drop of blood fall from Bucky's sword. Steve frowned, but didn't appear as horrified as Sutton thought he should be.

Bucky followed their line of sight down to the sword and realization dawned on his features.

"He's not dead," he told them. "But he will be recognizable if he dares show his face again."

Steve nodded and Sutton puffed as she arched her back in an attempt to stand, but Sprinkles refused to budge. She fell back against the couch with a sigh and peered over Sprinkles' back.

"What's going on," she rasped. "I don't- Gary  _isn't_ a  _goblin_. Those aren't- they don't exist here. He's never- he's never acted like that."

Bucky and Steve shared a look.

"How long has he lived here," Bucky asked.

Sutton's face skewed, clearly not seeing the relevance of that question.

"I don't know. Awhile?"

"Did he move in before or after you?"  
"After, I guess? What does this have to do with him- him  _turning green and-"_

"Please," said Bucky. "I need you to tell me if you can remember when you first saw him. How did you learn his name?"

It seemed stupid and irrelevant, but Sutton couldn't quite get up to protest. She complied and thought back, trying to recall their first conversation.

She'd moved in, been lonely, adopted Sprinkles, and….  _And…_

Gary had just...been there one day. Why did she think he'd moved in after her?

"I don't know," she finally admitted. " _I don't know_. What's going on?"

A whistle ran shrilly for half a second and then Steve was approaching her with a mug full of steaming tea.

"Everything's fine," he said. "You're safe, ok?" He pressed the mug into her hands and covered her fingers with his as he looked into her eyes. "I won't let him touch you again."

"I  _trying_ ," snapped Sutton, "to figure out how I was  _apparently_ attacked by a  _goblin_ in my  _apartment complex_."

Bucky and Steve looked to each other and once again had some mental conversation.

"He must have been sent over with us," Bucky said. "To make sure we stayed exiled."

"Goblins have glamor magic," Steve said, turning back to her. "It's how he looked human and confused you into thinking you'd known him."

Sprinkles shifted in her lap and broke Sutton's baffled train of thought with a few wet kisses. Sutton pat Sprinkles' head and pushed her face away so she could take a drink of the still hot tea. Steve had added a bit of honey and it helped soothe her throat and, more importantly, her nerves. She gave him a grateful smile and let out another controlled breath.

"He's from your world," she said. "I guess- I guess that makes sense. He did say something weird about magic winning, I think? And being left to rot?"

Both men perked up and exchanged another look.

"By magic won," prompted Steve. She took another sip of tea and nodded.

"That's it."

"Then he was undoubtedly sent to ensure we didn't get back," said Bucky.

Sutton thought that if that was Gary's goal, he wasn't doing a very good job. He didn't seem like a viable threat to either of them in the first place. Attacking her for helping them was doubly pointless.

"Will he leave when you guys do?"

Neither of them looked sure and a shiver ran through her. Maybe- maybe her job would let her bring Sprinkles to work a few days a week. Just so she could have some defense walking home.

"He wouldn't dare show his face again," Steve hedged. But he still situated himself closer. Sutton ran her hand over Sprinkles' glossy fur and idly scratched behind her ears.

While it was still a shock that she'd been physically attacked, she was almost more disturbed by the fact that there was a random magical creature roaming about freely and she hadn't even known it.

Sutton gave Sprinkles one last ear rub and then tapped her on the head.

"Up, up."

Sprinkles huffed and grumbled, twisting onto her back, and forced Sutton to raise up her mug of tea or spill it.

" _Uuup,_ " Sutton croaked back at her. Sprinkles cut her eyes up at Sutton, let out a growling complaint, then rolled over and hopped off the couch. Sutton stood and made sure she was actually steady before she walked over to the kitchen and set her mug down on the counter.

Bucky awkwardly shifted his sword in his hand and Sutton eyed the lingering blood stains on the metal. She sighed and grabbed a dish towel and wet it before passing it to him. He accepted the rag tentatively and Sutton sighed again as she rubbed at her face.

"This is crazy," she said. She gestured at either of them flippantly. "I thought housing a prince and a knight was going to be as weird as it got."

Steve and Bucky looked sheepishly at her and Steve took a step back while rubbing his neck.

"I apologize-"

"Oh, no, no. It's not- you aren't bad-weird! You're good-weird. Uh, both of you. I just- don't know how to process  _goblins_ , to be frank."

Sprinkles whined and ran around Steve's legs, urging him forward, and he made his way closer to Sutton in the kitchen. Bucky sat on the couch and set to work cleaning his sword. It probably wasn't the most ideal method and he mumbled under his breath, but Sutton didn't have steel polish, or whatever they used, on hand.

The apartment quieted. Sprinkles trotted back to the living room and there was a  _thump_ and a grunt as she jumped back up onto the couch and probably smack up against Bucky. Steve pressed his lips together in an awkward smile and Sutton ran her finger over the rim of her mug. Behind the kitchen wall, it was just them. Sutton bit her bottom lip, then sagged against her elbows.

"Can he change how he looks again," she asked. "Do I have to be nervous about every person I know?"

Steve shook his head and took another step closer.

"Once you know about the glamor, you can't fall for it again."

His hand slowly encased hers, lacing their fingers together as he watched her expression. Sutton bit the inside of her cheek and tried not to smile in amusement at the action.

"I'm not gonna break," she said. "It was a little scuffle. Maybe it shook me up a bit, but he'd have to try harder than that to  _really_  get to me."

"It shouldn't have happened, regardless. I swear to you, I'll do everything I can to make sure-"

"Steve." She squeezed his hand and shook her head with a small smile. "You should be more worried about getting back to your kingdom. Honestly," her voice took on a teasing tone, "where are your priorities?"

"I can multitask."

Steve was standing very close to her, Sutton noted, and he seemed to be milking her attack more than she was. Her go-to method in dealing with stress was usually to downplay the effects and try to forget it existed. The hand holding and quieted words and lingering stares were a bit melodramatic, probably. But, once more, Sutton didn't feel inclined to put a stop to them.

Forgive a girl for indulging in the moment.

"Multitask, huh?" She fiddled with his hand in hers, turning it over palm up, and ran her thumb over the base of his fingers. "Something tells me it's more like you take on responsibility for too much at once."

"Maybe I do need someone to help me delegate."

Sutton laughed as her eyes snapped up to meet his; he was already grinning down at her.

"I'll be sure to tell Bucky that he's doing a subpar job."

A snort sounded from the living room and Sutton's grin only widened as Steve frowned and huffed.

"That's not exactly  _his_  place," Steve emphasized. She knew, of course, that knights probably didn't have as much to do with more political issues. They were usually hired out, weren't they? To lords? Her mind wandered off in a curious buzz as she considered the functioning of a fairytale kingdom once more.

Maybe he had a council that was supposed to support him in delegating tasks and laws.

Steve drew her attention back by tucking a lock of hair behind her ear and tilting her head up.

"Sutton," he said, sounding exasperated. "You-"

"Yeah?"

She glanced down at his lips again without thinking about it and warmth pooled in her face.

"Do you-"  
Their hands were still interlinked. He was…trying to ask her a question? Sutton blinked. He- he was turning blue!

"What's going on!"  
Light was shining in her eyes, crawling up around Steve's legs and curling around his waist. He looked down as well, his face paling. Blue, flickering light, almost looking like reflective water was shimmering around him.

"Steve," she prodded, her voice lilting high. "What's happening?"  
"Tony," Steve murmured. There was a commotion in the living room. Sutton's gaze darted to the side to see Bucky in the kitchen entrance, Sprinkles in his arms. They were both shrouded in the same bright blue light.

"You're going back," Sutton cried. "Now?"

The light curled around their clasped hands and crawled up her own arm. Sutton gasped.

"What-"

Steve squeezed her hand again, focusing her attention.

"You can let go," he said. Sutton blinked. "If you're not sure, you have to let go  _now_."

The light. It was pulling her too. She could feel it warming her skin and sinking into her pores. Her heart thrummed in her chest and her breathing quickened. She didn't have time. She hadn't made a list of pros and cons yet or considered anything! She didn't even have a bag packed or any of Sprinkles' favorite toys.

Blue light engulfed all of Steve and was continuing to cover her. His grasp on her hand was loosening as her breathing picked up and the pulse in her neck throbbed.

 _Of course not_ , the immediate voice in her head said. It was insane and crazy and terrifying.

Sutton met Steve's gaze and felt her stomach flip.

What did she really have to lose? No family, no promising career. Only her and her dog and a creepy goblin possibly still living down the hall.

Her grip on his hand tightened and Steve's face lit up.

"I don't know what I'm doing," she confessed. Steve smiled.

"Don't worry. I'll be right here."

It was too late to let go anyway. Bucky and Sprinkles disappeared in a blinding flash, and she and Steve followed shortly after.


	9. Chapter 9

It was so, so bright. Sutton smashed her eyes shut and clung to Steve as the world dissolved around them and ceased to exist. It felt like the ground was flying rapidly under their unmoving feet, like a spinning treadmill track only they were never knocked on their face.

And then it was over. There was a rush of wind that blew her hair in her face and Sutton waited a moment to make sure they'd actually stopped. She peeled her eyes open but otherwise didn't immediately move. It was still bright. Natural sunlight filled the space and reflected off various surfaces, but the blue tint had dissipated. Sutton could see one tan wall lined with wooden shelves and spilling over with various books and bottles and crystals.

"I knew it," a male voice cried. "I knew that was too much mass for two men."

"Tony," Steve said. Sutton could feel the rumble of his voice as her face was still pressed against his chest. She quickly pushed away and turned to face the speaker, the aforementioned Tony she'd heard about.

"Stowaways," he continued to rant. "I hope there's some medal or promotion coming, because that could've killed me."

Tony, the sorcerer, was dressed in rich, deep red robes that were lined with gold. He had dark hair and an interesting goatee with dark eyes that sported creases at the corners. A medallion rested over his chest and it was inset with a cluster of glowing blue crystals. Tony eyed her in return and then looked back to Steve.

"Who is this? And what are you  _wearing_?"

A scrambling interrupted Steve before he could respond. Sprinkles wriggled out of Bucky's grip and dropped to the floor, her paws slipping as she attempted to gain traction. Sutton smiled widely and crouched down to wrap her in an embrace.

"Sprinkles!  _Oh,_ I'm so glad you're ok.  _Who's my good girl?_ "

Sprinkles panted happily and licked her across the face.

" _I_  am!"

Sutton stopped.

For a moment she was frozen as her mind tried to process why she'd just heard a responding raspy, feminine voice in her ear. In methodical motions, she lifted each finger from Sprinkles' neck and detached herself from her dog only to hold onto Sprinkles' face.

"Did-did you just... speak?"

"Yes," Sprinkles yipped. Her muzzle moved oddly, lips actually forming words. "And you did too! Wonderful! Good! I don't have to use only easy words now."

Sutton released Sprinkles' head and stood while taking a step back, her hands shaking.

" _What._ "

"I  _thought_  she was too intelligent to be silent," Bucky spoke up.

Sutton shook her head again and turned wide, disbelieving eyes to Steve.

"My dog," she said, "my dog is- is-"

**[][][]**

Steve dove forward and caught Sutton in his arms as she went limp. Sprinkles let out a frightened yelp and Bucky flinched; Tony stood frozen in surprise as Steve straightened with Sutton cradled in his arms.

"Sutton?  _Sutton._ " He could see the rise and fall of her chest and hear quiet breathes even behind a curtain of hair, but she had obviously swooned. "I think the attack, the travel,  _and the shock_  was a bit much for her," he said. Tony didn't look impressed.

"Has she never met a talking animal before? I mean, I know wherever you were didn't have magic, but honestly."

Sprinkles pranced nervously on her front paws as she kept an eye on Sutton.

"Oh no, oh no," she fretted. "She always talks to me, I thought she'd be happy."

It was then that two figures shifted in the doorway of the room and everyone, save Tony, tensed. Natasha and Clint emerged from the shadows, mildly wary yet amused, as they looked over the future king and his best knight.

"Good to have you back, your majesty," Natasha said with a vague bow of her head. Clint smirked at the sight of Steve with Sutton.

"So, was she really a stowaway or an  _invited guest?"_

His tone held enough connotations to giveaway his thoughts on the situation, and Bucky shot him a look.

"I don't recall that being your business."

"At ease, Sir Barnes," Steve said. He moved across the room to place Sutton down on a reclining sofa in the corner. He looked more amused than stern at Bucky's defensive nature. Sprinkles rushed over towards Steve and Sutton, putting herself between them and the two assassins as if she instinctively knew them to be trouble.

"Sire," Bucky protested," their crests."

Tony scowled alongside Bucky.

"It was a necessary evil," he said. "They were the only ones who could steal the Vessel from Loki without him catching them."

Steve took a moment to make sure Sutton was situated. He brushed a curly lock of hair from her face and delicately tucked it behind her ear with a faint smile still lingering on his face.

_She'd actually chosen to come._

Clearing his throat, he finally looked up and noted the marking pressed discreetly into the leather of their belts; a spread-winged eagle in a Rondache shield. The smile faded and his expression dimmed and he cast a look to Sprinkles.

"Stay with her, won't you?"  
Sprinkles hopped up and curled next to Sutton, nodding her head once and draping her legs over Sutton's protectively. She shot her own wary look to Natasha and Clint and her upper lips twitched slightly in a warning.

Steve tilted his head in a polite thanks as he rejoined the group. Natasha and Clint continued to watch all the fuss with barely concealed humor dancing in their eyes.

"You'd think we were the mad sorcerer," Clint said dryly. Natasha smirked.

"One generally knows what to expect from a mad sorcerer," Steve noted. "The Order of the Shield, however, doesn't quite advertise their motives so openly."

"The Order is entirely for the King and his kingdom's benefit," Natasha said. "The only thing you need to trust is our loyalty."

Steve kept still, considering them, before he nodded stiffly.

"I  _trust_  I'll see Fury at the next council meeting."

"We'll pass the word along. It really is nice to have you back safely, your majesty."

With that the two took their leave, bowing their heads to the group and slipping from the room as silently as they'd made themselves known. Clint reached over and grabbed a glowing blue cube, The Vessel, from a podium without breaking stride. 

"Hey," snapped Tony. Clint flicked a two finger salute over his shoulder. 

"We said we'd get it for you. Not that we'd let you keep it."

Steve held up a hand, signaling for Tony to let it be, and the sorcerer did with an irritated scowl. 

"You owe them, by the way," Tony said as he watched them leave. "They did fetch the Vessel with a promise of payment." Steve sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Your suggestion, I assume?"

Tony shrugged innocently, though a smirk cracked his face.

"My memory is a bit muddled," he said. "I was busy trying to make sure the kingdom didn't descend into chaos  _and_ keep up the magic barriers so Loki didn't invade in your absence."

Bucky and Steve shared a look, Bucky's lips pulled to one side as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Who cares about that," Sprinkles cried from the corner of the room. All heads turned to her. Her brown eyes were dark and sharp as she stared a hole in all of them. "My girl is still sick. Fix her!"

"Wonderful," Tony droned. "This one is demanding too."

**[]**

Sutton opened her eyes to light and a pressing weight on her torso. She blinked to clear her vision and peered down the length of her body. Sprinkles' nose was two inches from her face and puffs of hot air were being breathed directly on her. She groaned and pushed herself up; Sprinkles hopped off the sofa and circled around to once more shove her nose in Sutton's face.

"Up, up, you're up," she chanted. "I was scared you'd be sick forever."

Sutton's chest tightened again momentarily at the voice, but she bit her bottom lip and sucked in a deep breath through her nose.

"Magic," she finally said. She let out the breath and her shoulders slackened slightly. "You can talk because of magic, right?"

Sprinkles did another quick circle then sat, her nub of a tail wiggling at top speed.

"I don't know," she said. "But I'm very, very happy!"

Sutton remained seated a moment longer and stared down at her dog with growing wonder as the shock lessened. Animals. Animals could talk in this world. It was… it was  _magical._ It was  _wonderful!_

She laughed and stood, grinning at Sprinkles now.

"It's like a Disney movie," she said. "Oh my gosh, this is crazy!"

Sprinkles seemed to smile with her, her energy rising along with Sutton's mood.

"Yes," she agreed. "Whatever that is." Sutton scoffed.

"What are you talking about? You watched them with me all the time. On the TV? With the pictures and songs?"

"Oh, I didn't care about those." Sprinkles stood with a derisive snort and bumped against Sutton's legs in order to herd her along. "Let's go! King Steve is waiting. I'm to bring you to him!"

Sutton grunted at being shoved, but followed along as Sprinkles led the way. Her head was still spinning a little. Maybe she shouldn't have gotten up so soon.

She- she was in a different world right now; if she wasn't crazy. Her dog  _talked._

What had she even done? A handsome self-proclaimed prince had just invited her to take a one-way ticket to fantasy land and she'd accepted it?  _What was she-_

She forced her eyes up and focused intently on the room around her. No time for second guesses now. The room she was leaving was the same one that they'd first materialized in. It almost glittered with all the glass bottles that filled the room, some with bubbling opaque liquids that churned on their own. Thick leather bound books were stacked on shelves and along walls and her focus shifted legitimately as she tried to see if she could read the writing on the spines. The smell of herbs and spices was pungent in the thick air, and was that grease? Sutton's nose crinkled at the clash in scents. That seemed like a weird mix.

Sprinkles' nails clicked on the flooring as she picked up her pace, seemingly eager to get where she was going. Sutton took faster strides to keep up.

Outside of the lab, the building opened up even more. Was it a manor? A house? It looked rather large. Probably a manor. The ceilings curved with high arches and blown glass sconces were lined along the wall, unlit at the moment due to the afternoon sun. Sutton ran a hand through her hair; at least she hadn't been unconscious for long.

 _Ugh_. She'd fainted. How embarrassing! That was the first time she'd stooped to such damsel levels.

"This way," Sprinkles encouraged with a brief glance back. Murmuring voices from down the hall grew in volume and an ornate wooden door was cracked open in contrast to the rest. Sutton tugged on a curl and puffed out her chest. Ok, this was her moment. Time to save face.

Sprinkles nosed through the door and let out a whine to get everyone's attention.

"King Steve," she announced, "my girl is fixed!"

Sutton coughed into her fist, a smile flickering over her face at Sprinkles' title for her.

Steve, Bucky, Tony, and a red-headed woman were all seated at a long table talking when Sutton entered the room. The men stood when they saw her and Sutton's face heated as she brushed back her hair. "Hey," she said sheepishly. "Uh, sorry, hope I'm not interrupting something. No need for all that."

Steve smiled in an amused sort of indulgent way and walked over to greet her. Sprinkles made it a point to press her head against his hand and get a pet first as he passed. Sutton shot a disgruntled little frown at her dog.

"Still playing favorites," she muttered under her breath.

Steve took her hand and led her towards the table. There was an empty chair next to his right side that appeared to be saved for her.

"Standing is customary," he said in reply to her protest. "Looks like the coin has flipped. You'll find things are a bit different here."

"Hardy-har," Sutton said flatly. "I noticed. I mean, besides  _talking animals_ , your sorcerer's goatee was a dead giveaway."

Tony suddenly seemed to pay closer attention, his posture stiffening as one brow arched on his face.

"Excuse me?" Sutton laughed, mood flashing as she realized what she'd said.

"I'm kidding. Kinda. It's cool; I like it."

Why was she doing this? She was just spitting out words. A lot of people were staring at her, well, four people, but that was a lot. And now she sounded dumb and she  _really_ didn't like it when people stared at her when she didn't know what she was doing.

Oh gosh, she didn't even know this guy. What if he turned her into a toad?

"You know what? I'm just gonna sit down now."

She moved to grab the empty chair, but Steve snatched it out from under her and pulled it away from the table with a chivalrous tilt of his head. Someone snickered quietly as she blinked at him and dropped into the seat.

"Right," she said before clearing her throat. "Fairytale land. Etiquette stuff. Sorry, can I just say, I still feel a little insane right now? Is this what you both felt in front of that coffee shop? Because I'm pretty sure I'm feeling it."

"You'll be alright," reassured Bucky. "If those movies you showed us are any indication, you're not coming into this completely blind."

"Ok but those are  _movies_ , Bucky. Movies. With time jumps and scripted plots and- Oh, I'm sorry-" Sutton cut her rambling off and shook her head. "I'm being rude, I don't even know your name." She made eye contact with the red-head woman and sheepishly smiled. "I'm Sutton."

"Pepper," the woman said. She looped her arm through Tony's. "The sorcerer is my husband."

"Nice to meet you."

Tony was more relaxed now, and he watched her with a mischievous glint in his eye.

"This is the one," he said to Steve. "This one? Really?" Steve's face went mildly red, but he didn't elaborate on whatever Tony was talking about. "And  _Bucky_?  _Steve?_ You were only there for a short time and you got to a first name basis already?"

"Oh not this again. What do you want to be called? Sorcerer Supreme? The Great and Powerful Sir Anthony?"

At Steve's side, Sprinkles gave a doggy wheeze of a laugh.

"Those are long names," she said as she laughed again. "Long names are silly."

"Those are  _tempting_ ," Tony drawled. At the resounding groans he broke into a grin and raised his hands. "Tony will be fine for now. Who am I to ask for more than a king, right?"

Sutton rolled her eyes good-naturedly and rested her chin in her hand.

"So, is this actually the castle then? Or a wing of it," she asked. She looked around some more for good measure. There was a skylight in this room as well and what looked like multifaceted glass protecting them from the outside. The edges of the table they sat at had intricate patterns carved into it, geometric shapes, some parts of it sort of reminded her of circuitry. Next to her, Tony laughed.

"The castle? Does this  _look_ like a castle to you?" Sutton shot a glare.

"Sorry if I've never actually seen one in person before."

He took no offense or threat from her look and simply leaned forward in his seat. There was an odd feeling growing in the air around them, not so much tangible as it was an inward vibration. Tony paused a beat, as if in anticipation.

"Welcome to a new world, kid."

His tone was different. Sutton squinted. He hadn't spoken quite normally. It was more like he had- had chanted? Sang. But no, that couldn't-

Tony shoved away from the table and rose to his feet while spreading his arms wide.

" _It's a whole new world and_

_You've got a lot to learn_

_Like the difference between a dragon_

_And a, lowly wyrm."_

Sutton blinked and looked around.  _He was singing!_  But no one seemed alarmed or bothered; what the  _heck?_  Tony flicked a pointed finger in her direction and gave her a smarmy wink as he continued to strut around the table.

" _You've got a rude awakening_

_If you thought it'd be_

_All smooth sailing_

_In this royal, fantasy!_

_Well it ain't._

_Welcome to a new world, kid."_

"Oh," muttered Sutton. "Oh no."

Bucky and Steve were rolling their eyes and Pepper was watching her husband in poorly hidden amusement, but none of them were questioning this. Even Sprinkles bobbed her head along to music that wasn't there.

" _We've got Frost problems_

_Loki problems_

_And, as you'll see_

_One large, unfulfilled_

_Ancient… prophecy."_

He shot a look of his own at Steve and Steve frowned like a child being reminded to make their bed or put the dishes away.

" _You came at a weird time_

_Which 's a shame_

_Cause usually everything's sublime_

_But I guess this is now your new world, kid."_

Sutton found she was hunched into herself and half covering her face by the time Tony had finished and finally sat back in his seat. She let out a breath and watched as he smirked proudly to himself.

"What  _is going on?_ " She dragged out the last word as her voice went throaty. "That's a movie thing," she continued sharply. "Not a real thing."

There was a murmur around the room as if people weren't exactly sure what she was talking about. The corner of Pepper's mouth pulled back as she furrowed her brow.

"What isn't real?" Sutton splayed her hands.

"The singing? Like life is some sort of musical?"

She could practically hear crickets chirping. Or  _were_  there? After an actual performance, she wouldn't be surprised.

"Ok," she continued. "You two can't act like that's normal. Neither of you ever did that  _once_ while you were staying with me."

Steve and Bucky exchanged glances and Bucky smirked.

"We didn't have anything to tell you," he said.

"You did it," Steve said. Sutton squinted.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"This is boring!"

They were all interrupted by Sprinkles' impatient cry and she managed to reroute the conversation. Leaping up onto all four paws, Sprinkles did a quick circle and pranced on her front feet.

"Let's go sniff outside. I saw the park!"

What she meant by park, Sutton could only guess was actually the outdoors. Poor pup had been in an apartment so long any square of grass probably counted as a dog park to her.

Steve turned towards Sutton and held out a hand.

"Are you feeling well enough for that?" Sutton rolled her eyes and accepted the offered hand.

"Yes, of course. Not sure what happened earlier. That was a weird fluke." He smiled appeasingly.

"That's good to hear, because we do have to get back to my castle soon. The council will no doubt be anxious to have me back at my duties."

"Maybe we'll actually get a coronation sometime in the future," Tony muttered under his breath.

Steve pointedly ignored that statement and pulled Sutton to her feet.

"Let's go."

**[]**

The wide, wooden front doors opened into a blinding wonderland. Sunlight shone down unfiltered by any clouds or fog and an open field sprawled before them littered with a multitude of different colored wildflowers. Sutton turned, her breath hitching as she squinted and adjusted to the light. The manor was large and built of old stone that looked cleaned and bleached; ivy crawled up the exterior and glistened in the afternoon sun. The leaves were the greenest green Sutton had ever seen. It was an impossible color, like someone had cranked the saturation up several notches and it was so rich that she thought it almost looked like it was glowing. In fact, all the colors were like that. The air was so fresh it burnt her lungs when she took in a deep breath. It tasted sweet.

For a moment she could only stand frozen as she took it all in and let her eyesight adjust because, sure, she'd seen pictures of picturesque landscapes before, but nothing so  _pure_. She almost didn't believe it and she was standing in the middle of it.

"Wow," she murmured. Sprinkles tore out of the manor with dirt flying behind her as she sped through the grass and kicked chunks up in her wake.

"Look! How! Big! This! Park! Is!"

They had to catch each word as she did laps around them with her mouth wide open and tongue flying in the wind in ecstatic glee. Sutton couldn't help her face from erupting in a wide smile as she stifled a laugh.

"I don't think I've ever seen her so excited," she said while turning to Steve. "Of course, she also never spoke before either."  
Steve smiled and placed a hand at her back, prodding her forwards towards a large wooden structure a few hundred feet from the manor. The smell of hay floated on the breeze and some light nickering and stomping could be heard from somewhere inside what Sutton inferred was the stable.

"We do have cities, though they're nothing like the one you lived in," he responded. "I'm sure Sprinkles will be pleased, but I hope that's ok with you."

Sutton huffed and shook her head.

"I really hope there isn't. I never liked the city all that much, to be honest. It just saved on commuting to live there so I didn't have much of a choice." She paused a moment and her brows crinkled slightly. "What's rent cost on average here anyway? Do you have a minimum wage? Oh  _gosh_ , I didn't think anything through, did I? What am I going to do with all my Excel skills now? There's an entire college credit down the drain."

Steve rolled his eyes as he kept her on track to the stable, as if he removed his hand from her back she might wander away and get lost in the wildflowers.

"You don't have to worry about any of that," he said flatly. Sutton shot him a glance as her face shifted from indignant to thankful.

"I appreciate you returning the favor, but I don't want to live off your generosity forever. That'd be so rude."

Steve let out what sounded like a long-suffering sigh, but they'd reached the stable by that point and Sutton was completely distracted as he pushed open one of the large barn doors. There were several rows of large stable boxes and the entire space smelled like horse and fresh hay and oats.

"Whoa!"  
She stopped in her tracks and took a step back as several horses turned to look at the intruders. They were giant creatures. Sutton had never seen a horse in person before. Not up close at least. These animals were taller than she was, with glossy coats and plaited hair that fell long over their necks. Perhaps their huge, dark eyes were what really disconcerted her. The eyes felt like they were staring through you instead of simply observing. Fleetingly, Sutton wondered if  _they_ could talk too.

They came in a variety of colors: warm chestnut, pale yellow, dappled gray, and burnt red. A few of them seemed like they were impossible hues and shimmered as if they were actually metallic silvers and golds.

Steve continued forwards with a pleased exhale towards a speckled white horse as she remained near the entrance and gaped. The horse stepped closer to the little gate door, that probably couldn't hold it back if the horse really didn't want to be there, and shook its head. It let out a short whinny as Steve reached up and rubbed along its nose. There was a gentleness to his touch as he caressed the soft hairs under its jaw, a sort of familiarity and fondness.

"Hey boy," he murmured. "It's been awhile, huh. Tony take good care of you?"

Footsteps sounded from behind and Bucky passed her carrying two large leather saddles. They were thick and polished; along the edges they were embossed with a decorative filigree and what looked like eight-pointed stars. Bucky handed a saddle over to Steve with a nod before heading over to the chestnut horse himself. Deep blue blankets were placed under the saddles and the reins used looked like leather that had been dyed a dark red.

"Are you ready," Steve asked over his shoulder. Sutton watched him with a furrowed brow as he tightened the saddle strap under the horse's belly.

"To get on the horse?  _That_  horse? The horse that could crush me in half a second?"

"Have you never ridden before," asked Bucky, already mounted on his own steed. Her nose wrinkled as she considered the idea.

"Not exactly. Not unless a pony at the fair counts. I think- Can't I, you know, just walk?"

Bucky quirked a brow and tilted his head down towards her.

"No. On both accounts."  
Sutton only stiffened further as Steve led his horse by the reins out of its box and towards her.

"I won't let you fall," he said. Still, she didn't look convinced and edged backwards towards the stable entrance.

Sutton had a thousand excuses. The horse's muscles had muscles, one buck would fling her into the stratosphere; Steve holding her on its back like some romance novel lead was a daunting idea she wasn't sure she was ready for, and what-what about Sprinkles? What was Sprinkles supposed to do? Speaking of, where-

"There are so many new smells!"

Sprinkles' rough voice suddenly burst through the stable and Sutton turned in time to see the ecstatic look on her dog's face shift as she came to a screeching halt. Sprinkles' one good ear flew back against her head and she didn't move from where she'd stopped right beside Sutton. Sutton noted, a bit ruefully, that Sprinkles was already coated in dirt and mud. Awesome.

"What are you," Sprinkles snapped. She was staring intently at Steve's horse and the short hairs on the back of her neck were starting to bristle. Steve gestured towards his steed.

"This is Darian," he said. "He's a hors-" Darian snorted and stamped a hoof while shaking his head and Sprinkles' ear perked back up.

"Oh. Big weird dog!"

She dropped into a play bow and snorted back at the horse. The horse merely blinked its wide, dark eyes at her and stamped again which sent Sprinkles skittering around as if they were about to play a rousing game of chase.

"Can I play with the big weird dog?"

"He's a hors-"  
"Maybe later," interrupted Sutton. "We're going bye-bye-  _er._  I mean, we have to go to Steve's house."

Sprinkles hopped back up to a standing position and opened her jaw in a doggy grin.

" _Bye-bye?_  Yes, let's go to King Steve's house! I bet he has treats."

The clip-clop of trotting drew closer and Bucky cut between the conversation on his way outside.

"Oh yeah, he's got lots," he said. "And an entire pack of hunting dogs who're always ready to play."

That was all it took. Sprinkles almost disappeared she tore outside so fast, despite not knowing which way they were supposed to be going.

"I really hope you  _do_ have treats," Sutton muttered. "Or else we're in for some lengthy complaining. Oh gosh, she can do it in english now."

A smirk ticked across Steve's face and he finally started towards her again, his horse in tow.

"You ready to get in the saddle?"

Sutton was absolutely not and her face said as much. It was when Steve wrapped the reins around a nearby post and marched straight for her that she really started to panic.

"Sometimes the best way to face your fears is to plunge right in."


	10. Chapter 10

"Steve," Sutton said, voice warning as he came closer. She edged further away and held up a pointed finger. "Steve, don't you dare. King or not, I will  _end_  you if you-  _Ah!"_

Steve's smile was all trouble as he hefted her up off the ground with hands at her waist.

"I tried the bus," he said. "It's only fair."

"A bus isn't a live animal. Steve!"

He raised her up higher towards the unbothered horse like she wasn't more than a sack of flour, even as she squawked. The next moment she was in the saddle and she desperately gripped the front rim of it, horrified to notice there wasn't one of those little horn grips like the cowboys had in all the movies. Her legs clenched as she gripped the sides of the horse and tried not to slide off.

"I'm going to kill you."

"See? It's not so bad."

Sutton glared down at him and grit her teeth. It felt like she was tottling on the edge of a precipice with only the hard ground and some horses' hooves to meet her if she tipped over. She hadn't felt quite so out of control of her own fate in awhile. Steve placed one of his feet in the stirrup and hopped up behind her. Given that they were both sharing one saddle, there wasn't much space between them. Sutton could feel his body heat against her back and she stifled a squeak as he reached around her to grab the reins.

"I promise, you're safe riding with me."

Sutton shuddered; it felt like he was speaking directly into her ear. She loosened her shoulders slightly even as she eyed the distance to the ground. Having Steve behind her her did make her feel safer. Enclosed. There really wasn't anywhere for her to go with him wrapped around her so thoroughly. Which was an entirely new problem in itself.

"You ready to go?"

"Oh," Sutton sniped. " _Now_ you ask."

Steve clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth and Sutton stiffened again as the horse began walking forward.

"Hey, whoa!" The horse ignored her. "Just don't go fast, ok? Please don't make it run."

Steve adjusted his grip on the reins and his arms rubbed against her shoulders.

"We'll start out slow," he agreed. "But I've been riding since I was a child. You're in good hands."

He directed the horse out of the stable and into the open, with Sutton gripping what she could of the saddle for dear life the entire time. Bucky was still seated on his own horse a few yards away from the stable and conversing quietly with both Tony and Pepper. They all looked over at the thumping of hooves on dirt and Tony's expression went deadpan.

"Don't tell me you've never seen a horse either."

"We have horses," Sutton snapped. "But hardly anyone rides them anymore, let alone  _me._  I'm not made of money."

"What?"

Sprinkles was hopping around the legs of Bucky's steed and bothering the creature as Bucky turned to face them fully.

"We really should be going. It's an hour ride and we've been gone too long."

"Right," agreed Tony.

He let out a shrill whistle and Sutton winced at the noise. There was a whinnying reply and a pause before a thundering gallop could be heard. A large, golden horse came gleaming into view from the pasture and the way its hair shimmered could make a person believe it was made from the precious metal itself. There was a matching golden amulet bouncing around its neck with what looked like a glass orb set inside and it shone brighter than the horse did. Sutton gaped.

"I don't think we have horses like  _that_."

"Oh, no?" Tony asked, his tone smug. "I can't say I'm surprised. I developed the breed myself, it's-"

Another whinny cut him off, this one smaller and much less impressive. Tony shot to attention.

"No! Not you!"

Just as the golden horse stopped near the fencing, waiting to be let out, another figure emerged from the wide expanse of pasture. Sutton wouldn't call it a horse. The small thing was more like one of those miniature ponies you'd see touted at the local county fair. The body of the fat pony was white and its mane was gray and a bit matted and frazzled looking. Not pristinely braided and styled like the golden horse.

The small thing let out another whinny that turned into something more guttural as it approached the fence.

"Not you, Dum-E," Tony said. "Go on. Go back to whatever it was you were doing."

The pony shook its mane and pressed closer to the fence as it nickered a bit more kindly.

"Dummy," Sutton said aghast. "You call him Dummy?"

"Yes," said Tony. "He's a dumb equine. It suits him. You have no idea the sort of trouble that thing has caused me."

"He's just a little pony. Aw, look at him. He only wants attention."

Dum-E reared up on his hind legs and tried to hit at the fence gate with his front hooves as if to open the door. The golden horse watched it all with a sort of bored expression that Sutton didn't realize horses could make.

"Sir." The words came from the horse's' mouth. Literally. Sutton jerked backwards in the saddle and Steve moved a hand to steady her.

"Shiny big, weird dog!" Sprinkles moved over, switching her attention to the newcomer. "Are you going to come out and play?"  
The horse looked over and tilted its head in a curious fashion down at two different bothersome animals that were now on either side of the fence.

"You did summon me for a reason, sir, correct?"

"Sorry, Jarvis. Of course I did. We're heading out for the castle, let me just-"

He moved to open the gate and Dum-E doubled his efforts to open it himself. A bit of rope dangled from the latch and he managed to snag it with his teeth and pull.

"Dang it, Dum-E," Tony snapped. "Not again. You'll let all the rest out and I don't have time to chase down a herd of stubborn beasts."

Sutton managed to not pass out and recovered from her shock at another talking animal rather quickly.

"Do all the horses here talk," she asked. Steve snickered behind her.

"No. This would be quite rude, then, if they could."

"I'm not a talking horse," said Jarvis, the talking horse. Sutton squinted while her mouth dropped open slightly. Bucky laughed.

"It's the amulet." Pepper spoke up. She gestured to the necklace the horse wore as it continued to glow. "The horse is just a vessel, really."

"Jarvis is  _just a rather very intelligent spell_ ," Tony piped up as he opened the gate and shoved Dum-E back with a foot. The pony neighed and ran back from the half-hearted abuse, his ears laying back as he flicked his tail and dropped his head.

"Awhile back," Tony continued to explain, "I was trying to find a way to store spells and collect information in a central location. It took a lot of trial and error, but I managed to come up with Jarvis, here. He can remember information and store data ready for when I require it. The amulet links to the core spell in my lab, and I'm able to access him even away from home."

"Oh," said Sutton. "So, it's kind of like magical wifi?"

Tony looked to Steve and Bucky but they both merely shrugged, clueless.

Tony finally managed to saddle his giant, not talking, war horse and climbed on to help Pepper up after him. They set off at a smooth clip and Sutton found herself pressing back into Steve as they increased their pace. Her fingers curled more tightly around the decorative rim on the saddle and she hissed at Steve's stifled chuckling.

"You promised not fast."

"I promised to start slow, which we did. But it's an hour ride and, if you're inexperienced, you're certainly going to want to get out of the saddle as soon as possible."

" _Certainly,"_ Sutton mocked. "I'd like to get out now.  _Sprinkles_  is walking."

"Sprinkles can keep up. And even she looks like she's getting tired. Bucky will have to carry her with him soon."

It was true; poor Sprinkles was panting and her gait was getting less enthusiastic as they continued on. She'd never gotten as much exercise as she probably needed in the apartment, and even if she had the horses were multiple times her size.

Sutton still didn't love riding horseback at the moment. Given that she didn't have the reins or the practice, it left her feeling helpless. But another, traitorous, part of her could appreciate being gently cradled in Steve's strong embrace. Despite the lingering complaints from the cautionary side of her brain, she did trust him. He did have a kingly quality to him, a self confidence that made those around him have confidence in him too.

"I bet you're just going to milk this, huh? You're just thrilled that now you get to look all handsome and smug while I flail around not knowing what to do."

"What was that," piped up Bucky, proving he was eavesdropping on their conversation. "It almost sounded like you called-"

"Shut up, Bucky!" Sutton's face heated and she internally screamed at yet another slip of her tongue. "It's rude to butt into conversations."

"Oh, she can tell a king's knight to shut up? I  _do_ like her," chimed in Tony. Bucky, as usual, just turned back around looking victorious. Sutton didn't want to know what face Steve was making. If she had any luck at all he'd missed what she said.

Steve mentioned nothing and they continued riding on only to slow briefly as Bucky helped Sprinkles to scramble up onto the horse and awkwardly work to lay in his lap. She huffed and grumbled and complained, but eventually she settled with practically laying perpendicular across the horse and resting her chin on Bucky's leg.

The saddle was beginning to make Sutton's own legs ache, but she tried to distract herself by studying the landscape they were travelling through. It was all so breathtaking.

Mountains in the distance looked like crystal, reflecting purples and blues through the haze of the atmosphere and they were still white capped despite the apparent warmth of the season. Sutton breathed in and could smell traces of pine and water; the scent reminded her of home. Not Seattle, which always managed to smell like concrete and garbage, but  _home_. Like family hikes on the weekend and afternoons in the library while her mother worked.

"Do you like it," Steve murmured behind her. "Once we get things all settled, I can take you on a tour of the kingdom if you like. There are some truly beautiful places."

"More beautiful than this?" Sutton laughed. "This place is incredible and I haven't even really seen anything yet. It's hard to believe you all have a war you're trying to stop."

She felt Steve sigh as he switched to holding the reins in one hand, leaving the other free. Sutton eyed the casual grip he had on the leather warily.

"Where there's kingdoms and power there'll be conflict. Loki isn't the first to try, even if he's the latest. He'll be defeated just like the rest."

Sutton hummed lightly. Even fairy tales had conflict and bad guys. And she was fairly certain this wasn't a Grimm Brothers story, so they probably didn't have too much to worry about. She hoped.

Her mind drifted as she thought about the potential war.

"Tony mentioned something when he was singing," she finally said. "He mentioned a prophecy and looked at you. Does that have anything to do with the Loki problem?"

"Kind of," said Steve.

"It has  _everything_ to do with the  _Loki problem_ ," Tony cut in. "His majesty needs to stop stalling and just fulfill the prophecy already."

"You know how I feel about prophecies Tony."

"What  _is_  the prophecy," Sutton prodded. "Please tell me it inexplicably rhymes."

"Do you have prophecies that  _don't_?" Tony shot her a look and Sutton closed her eyes as she pressed her hands together in pure delight.

"You have no idea how ecstatic I am."

Pepper rolled her eyes as she leaned away from Tony's back in order to make eye contact with Sutton.

"Would you like to actually hear it, instead of having these boys stall for another fifteen minutes?" At Sutton's nod she cleared her throat and continued. "It goes like this:

_From southern town_

_An orphan's heart_

_Of magic won_

_Though pain begot_

_Through lands divided_

_Shall they roam_

_A knighted soul_

_To lead them home_

_So shall stay the sorcerer's hand_

_And restore peace throughout the land."_

Sutton mulled the words over silently, repeating bits to herself as she soaked it in. A  _real_ prophecy. Or, at least, a prophecy that some people in this world really believed in. It was fairly vague, as most prophecies she'd heard in movies were. Pretty par for the course, as far as these sorts of things went.

"So you're from a southern kingdom?" She tried to make sense of some of the cryptic clues. "Or were born in the south, maybe?"

Steve shook his head, his chin brushing against her hair.

"His mother passed after falling ill during a tour of some of the southern villages," Bucky said. "From  _southern town, an orphan's heart."_

"Oh," murmured Sutton. She tilted her head backwards and could only make out an odd angle of Steve's semi-stern face. "I'm sorry."

"It was a while ago."

She didn't have to tell him she understood that it didn't ever really  _not_ hurt. That had been made abundantly clear by her break down and their talk in her apartment. She pried one of her hands from the saddle piece and gently patted his free hand. Steve surprised her by flipping his hand over and lightly twining his fingers with hers. Sutton swallowed and went hot.

He must need the comfort. Some reassurance. That was all.

Once they started passing some cottage-likes homes and cultivated farmland, Sutton assumed they were close to their destination. Steve wasn't wrong that she was feeling more than ready to get off the horse's back and on her own two feet again.

They were also starting to garner attention from those working outside. A road was gaining more and more definition and she could catch the scent of warm spices and fresh bread on the air. People seemed to recognize Steve and Bucky even in their "odd" outfits and would gather to cheer and respectfully bow as they passed. Sutton watched one little boy take off towards some gates growing in the distance and figured he had appointed himself to spread the news. She shrank back in to Steve as the attention continued to grow.

Surely people would recognize everyone  _but_ her and talk would start. Not to mention her clothes stood out so much it was almost comical.

The clothes she'd seen so far awed her, to say the least. Even the peasants'. They were frilly and sleek, leather and wool, embroidered and simplistically cut. Almost medieval with a modern flare, if that could be a thing. These weren't even what  _royalty_  wore and she was impressed. She only hunched further at the reminder of how humble the thrift store clothes must have really felt to both men.

"They're good people," Steve said. "You have nothing to worry about."

"I just sort of, you know, stand out a little. Right now." Steve laughed.

"I can imagine how we looked to you when you first saw us."

Sutton smiled to herself though Steve probably couldn't see it. She supposed they'd only looked ridiculous because they were standing besides a crowd dressed so normally. Well, normal for her world.

"It was unique. But I think, seeing what the norm is here, that you and Bucky must've been pretty stylish."

"We'll get you a wardrobe started once we reach the castle. The seamstresses we employ are unparalleled and they'll be able to get you some finished pieces within a week."

"Wait, custom? Oh, no, you don't-"

Steve squeezed her hand, still in his hold, and silenced her.

"No need to protest everything," he said. Sutton's face wrinkled in disbelief.

"If I don't, you'll just keep doing whatever you want. I'll end up owing you way more than I actually helped you."

"Have any of your protests ever made any difference so far," Tony drawled from beside them. "Clearly, you have very little experience with the stubbornness of royalty."

"Well clearly, you've never met a woman from the pacific northwest," she retaliated. "We freaking DIY everything, and if you think I haven't altered clothes from Goodwill before, you're crazy."

"That sentence," said Bucky, "just almost made sense."

They reached the city gates and Sutton craned her head to see how high they stretched. The posted guards hollered greetings and Bucky maneuvered his horse to the front of the group to lead them in.

It was like a parade; the street exploded in colors and noise. People waved colorful cloth and praised the return of their leader. Tony leaned in his saddle to speak out of earshot.

"Can you imagine their greeting if they knew you'd been in another realm entirely?"

"I will thank you for keeping that fact from public knowledge."

The cobblestone road wound through wood and stone buildings, shops and inns, and sweet smelling bakeries. Steve waved politely to the crowds as they rode through, the horses' hooves  _clip-clopping_  on the path. Sutton peeked through her curls at the people below. Children jumped up with waving arms while being held back by their parents. Overall it looked to be a joyful celebration, but she could spy some looks of relief on adult's faces. Of worry.

They were still a people on the verge of war. For some reason, it couldn't quite sink in for her. Everything looked too bright, too happy. If this was a fairytale world like some Disney flick, how bad could it really be?

The crowds thinned as they passed through the main square. Sutton gasped as the castle came into view. It rose above the gray stone structures like a gleaming beacon. Spindling turrets reached towards the clear sky and red and blue flags flapped from the tops in a lazy breeze. The castle looked like it was built from creamy, white stone and it was either infused with glitter or the stained glass windows were messing with her vision.

"You live in  _that?"_  Steve sat up straighter in the saddle.

"Yes," he said. "Do you like it?"

"It's incredible. I feel like I'm at Disney World. But better," she rushed to reassure. She sighed a little in awe as she slouched down, head tilted up towards the sparkling turrets. "America doesn't have castles. I still feel like I might be dreaming."

"It's real." Steve sounded as if he wanted to make that absolutely clear.

"How do your kingdoms defend themselves if they don't have fortresses," Tony asked. Sutton's face scrunched to one side.

"Uh, I don't think I'm going to taint this world with terrible technological knowledge. Just know it's not with castles." Tony stared at her a moment then rolled his eyes as he turned away.

They entered through another gate, unquestioned, and it opened up into a courtyard with a large fountain in the center and people scurrying around doing chores. Two young teen boys ran up to grab the reins from all the riders and led the horses off to the side.

"Your majesty," they said with a short bow. "Your Graces. Sir Barnes."

Steve hopped off the saddle in one smooth motion, and the others mimicked his movements. Tony only had to offer a hand to Pepper and she didn't even stumble when hopping down. Sutton held onto the saddle rim even tighter. Steve held out both arms to her as he stared up at her with a soft smile. It made her stupid stomach flip again.

"I won't let you fall. You can trust me."

Sutton took a deep breath, nodded, and shifted towards him. She only felt like she was free falling for half a second. Before she could fully process it Steve's hands were under her arms and then she was safely back on the ground. His hands remained on her sides a moment, as if making sure she had her balance, and Sutton was more than aware of their warmth and size compared to hers. And yet, his touch was nothing but polite, respectful.

"You did it, you did it!" Sprinkles came bounding over with a cheerful look on her face, her eyes squinting from her doggy smile. "I'm so proud of you, good girl."

"Oh lord."

Sutton stepped away and Steve moved his hands back to his sides. Everyone grinned at Sprinkles' words much to Sutton's chagrin. Luckily chatter from the surrounding workers managed to detract from the moment. A man in more elaborate dress power walked towards them from the castle. He had a bundle of scrolls under one arm, and was almost out of breath as he stopped before them.

"Your majesty," he said with a rushed bow. " _There_ you are, it's been far too long."

"Coulson," Steve acknowledged. "Sorry to leave you all so suddenly."

The man was unassuming in appearance, with a polite thin curve of his lips and receding hairline. His eyes, however, were sharp, even if he looked a bit worn around the edges.

"I'm going to have to insist that you not disappear again." Steve smiled and pat his shoulder as he moved passed. Sutton followed along, casting a look at the man's buttoned coat and shining boots.

"You have my word. I think everything I need is right here." He winked at Coulson and the man's face quirked in confusion.

Their horses were led away by the teens, stable boys, Sutton guessed, and Coulson hurried to beat them into the castle via a set of wooden doors.

" _Stand up straight! Look alive! The king is here, he did not die!"_

Sutton's head snapped around as other workers in the castle spun around and stuck their heads through doorways.

" _The king is here! The king is here!"_

"Oh no," said Sutton. "Not this again. Hey! Can we just-"

Someone swung a door open, ribbon flew across a hall, there was the sound of clattering dishes. It was too late.

" _It's been so long since he was seen_

_We had to fear the worst_

_But now our king 's come back to us_

_To save us from the curse!"_

Coulson marched in front of them, snapping orders to castle staff as he went along, but only in sync with the nonexistent music.

Sutton cringed at the entire ensemble cast singing yet still tried to appreciate the castle before her. There were rich tapestries hanging on the walls alongside glowing sconces which held no fire. Steve grabbed her hand and hopped a little as he led her beside him.

" _This is where I grew up_

_In my parent's warm embrace_

_Within the halls of my grandfathers_

_And under caring gaze_

_In these walls are my childhood_

_These people are my heart_

_I can remember stealing cakes and climbing trees_

_Before I ever learned to play a king's part."_

"It must have been amazing. To be raised in a place like this."

" _It's something that I treasure, with moments that I miss."_

Sutton nodded, then her eyes shot open and her hand pressed to the base of her throat.

"Wait. What's happening?"

Clicking on the floor grew behind them and Sprinkles ran around the pair with renewed exuberance. She did a lap around them and threw her head back as she joined in with the rest of the castle.

" _The king is here, the king is here!_

_We have no more to fear_

_For there's no one else who we adore_

_Or trust more_

_Than King Rogers of Andalasia!"_

"How do you know this song?" Sutton demanded from Sprinkles. "You got here at the same time as me!"

Sprinkles huffed and began to thoroughly sniff the hall as she continued to explore.

"You're not listening," she said without bothering to look up.

But the song had come to a close and the lack of ringing voices made the building almost sound empty in comparison.

"I'm going to have to get used to that," Sutton said to herself. The tug at her hand was a sobering reminder that Steve's fingers were still threaded through her own, and they passed through a few corridors before he finally pressed one wooden door open.

"Before I have to run and settle with the council, I'll leave you to be fitted."

The room opened up into a wide space, shelves and shelves of bolted fabric in every color and texture lined the walls. A few women were working quietly at spinning wheels and old cast iron sewing machines, but looked up at their entrance. At seeing Steve, they all stood and bowed their heads respectively.

"Madames," said Steve, "I have a special order for you."

"Your majesty?"

"An entire wardrobe, if you please." He removed his hand from Sutton's and placed it at her back to usher her forward. The woman who spoke eyed Sutton up and down and looked intrigued.

"Of course, your majesty," she said with a bob of a curtsey. "May I ask what style?"

Steve bowed his head.

"I'll leave that to your discretion. But it should be fit for royalty."

Sutton turned in surprise. All of the women's eyes shone.


End file.
